Tumors. Plants can remove toxic gasoline fumes from indoor air

An Australian study has revealed that plants can effectively remove toxic petrol fumes, including cancer-causing compounds such as benzene, from indoor air. According to WHO, poor indoor air quality is responsible for 6.7 million premature deaths globally.

30 MAG – A mix of indoor plants gathered in a green wall is effective in removing 97% of harmful and carcinogenic pollutants from gasoline, including benzene, from the surrounding air, in eight hours. This is what emerges from a research led by Fraser Torpydell’University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

According to WHO, poor indoor air quality is responsible for 6.7 million premature deaths globally. Most people spend 90% of their time at home, at school or in the workplace, which is why it is essential to adopt new strategies to improve air quality, also considering that this is often more polluted than outside air.

Already some studies have shown that indoor plants can remove different types of contaminants. The new study, however, focused on gasoline vapors, a major source of toxic compounds in buildings around the world. Breathing in these compounds can cause lung irritation, headaches and nausea and is linked to an increased risk of cancer, asthma and other chronic diseases, which can shorten life expectancy.

The study was based on measurements in a closed chamber and found that “not only can plants remove most air pollutants within hours, but they also remove harmful petrol-related pollutants more efficiently.” Torpy pointed out. The team also found “that the more concentrated the toxins are in the air, the faster and more effective plants become at removing them.”

Source: University of Technology Sydney

30 maggio 2023
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