New NASA Study: This Houseplant Removes Indoor Air Pollutants & VOCs Best

This research was supported under NASA’s Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Life Support Systems (LSS) Project and conducted at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to find the effect ofgolden pothos in the removal of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde in a simulated research cabin.

The results were surprising and affirmed the previous claims in various studies that growing indoor plants can be a cost-effective measure in reducing airborne contaminants, toxic organic compounds, and gases. *Golden pothos was also a part of the 1989 NASA study on indoor plants.

According to the overview–“This work develops a passive system for removing common VOC’s from spacecraft and household indoor air and decreasing the necessity for active cabin trace contaminant removal systems.”

To measure the indoor air quality in the chamber, they used commercial passive air monitoring badges and a gas-phase Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR).

Also Read: Malaysian Study on Most CO2 Absorbing Houseplant

All the harmful compounds were reduced at a faster rate when a golden pothos was present. One more finding was that golden pothos also increased H2O levels, which means it increases humidity. An excellent option for those suffering from dry air in their homes. Humid air also helps those with breathing problems.