Re: Could a House Plant Clean the Air?

[Guest guest]

I cant handle the mold in the soil of a plant

Janet

[Guest guest]

Spider plants or another name of it is airplane plant, they do fantastic putting

clean oxygen in the air in your house. ( this is the plant that is green with

white edges and grows other little plants on the ends of the outgrowths.)

Marcie

" kengib . " <jkg4902@...> wrote:

<http://www.healthcentral.com/>

Could a House Plant Clean the Air?

As English ivy climbs, airborne contaminants fall, study finds.

By Randy Dotinga

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Want a great, green way to clean the

air in your house?

A new study by a California teenager suggests that a not-so-usual suspect

-- the English ivy plant -- might be just the ticket.

Kim, the son of an allergy researcher, found that an English ivy

plant does a significant job of cleansing the air of mold particles and other

nasty particulates, including canine fecal matter.

" This may be a better alternative, and more cost-effective " than an

electronic air purifier, said study co-author Spyers-Duran, a nurse

practitioner and investigator at West Coast Clinical Trials in Long Beach,

Calif.

But an indoor-pollution specialist is skeptical of the

plant-as-air-cleaner approach. He suggested that concerned residents try an

old-fashioned method: ridding the house beforehand of contaminants that make the

air dirty.

Some house plants, including English ivy, have been touted for their

air-cleaning properties. But it hasn't been entirely clear how effectively they

work, said Spyers-Duran, who wrote the paper with Kim, the son of her company's

CEO, Dr. Kim.

The younger Kim put moldy bread and dog feces in individual containers and

measured how many particles spread into the air. Then he put an English ivy

plant into the containers to see what happened, and then repeated the

experiment.

The study findings were released this week at the annual meeting of the

American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in Anaheim, Calif.

According to the study, the plant reduced airborne particles of fecal

matter by an average of more than 94 percent over 12 hours. The level of mold in

the air went down by 78.5 percent.

How does a plant manage to clean the air? " Aerosolized proteins are

actually absorbed through the roots and soil of the plant, " Spyers-Duran

explained.

So should health-conscious Americans rush out and buy an English ivy

plant? There are a few caveats, experts said. For one thing, English ivy is

toxic and shouldn't be placed near small children or pets. Also, the study only

examined what the plant does in containers, not in entire rooms.

Then there's the matter of allowing dirt into your home. The soil that

feeds a plant also sends out its own potentially dangerous microbes and waste

products, noted Siegel, an assistant professor of civil engineering at

the University of Texas at Austin.

Siegel, who specializes in indoor air quality, recommends that residents

combat indoor pollution by getting rid of sources within the home. This includes

making people smoke outside and providing exhaust hoods to get rid of

cooking-related pollutants.

[Guest guest]

Yes and it can grow & cause chaos! Don't do plants. Loni

Gingersnap1964@... wrote: I cant handle the mold in the soil of a plant

Janet

[Guest guest]

I had a spider that grew lots of mold. LOni

Marcie McGovern <marcie1029@...> wrote: Spider plants or another name of

it is airplane plant, they do fantastic putting clean oxygen in the air in your

house. ( this is the plant that is green with white edges and grows other little

plants on the ends of the outgrowths.)

Marcie

" kengib . " <jkg4902@...> wrote:

<http://www.healthcentral.com/>

Could a House Plant Clean the Air?

As English ivy climbs, airborne contaminants fall, study finds.

By Randy Dotinga

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Want a great, green way to clean the

air in your house?

A new study by a California teenager suggests that a not-so-usual suspect

-- the English ivy plant -- might be just the ticket.

Kim, the son of an allergy researcher, found that an English ivy

plant does a significant job of cleansing the air of mold particles and other

nasty particulates, including canine fecal matter.

" This may be a better alternative, and more cost-effective " than an

electronic air purifier, said study co-author Spyers-Duran, a nurse

practitioner and investigator at West Coast Clinical Trials in Long Beach,

Calif.

But an indoor-pollution specialist is skeptical of the

plant-as-air-cleaner approach. He suggested that concerned residents try an

old-fashioned method: ridding the house beforehand of contaminants that make the

air dirty.

Some house plants, including English ivy, have been touted for their

air-cleaning properties. But it hasn't been entirely clear how effectively they

work, said Spyers-Duran, who wrote the paper with Kim, the son of her company's

CEO, Dr. Kim.

The younger Kim put moldy bread and dog feces in individual containers and

measured how many particles spread into the air. Then he put an English ivy

plant into the containers to see what happened, and then repeated the

experiment.

The study findings were released this week at the annual meeting of the

American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in Anaheim, Calif.

According to the study, the plant reduced airborne particles of fecal

matter by an average of more than 94 percent over 12 hours. The level of mold in

the air went down by 78.5 percent.

How does a plant manage to clean the air? " Aerosolized proteins are

actually absorbed through the roots and soil of the plant, " Spyers-Duran

explained.

So should health-conscious Americans rush out and buy an English ivy

plant? There are a few caveats, experts said. For one thing, English ivy is

toxic and shouldn't be placed near small children or pets. Also, the study only

examined what the plant does in containers, not in entire rooms.

Then there's the matter of allowing dirt into your home. The soil that

feeds a plant also sends out its own potentially dangerous microbes and waste

products, noted Siegel, an assistant professor of civil engineering at

the University of Texas at Austin.

Siegel, who specializes in indoor air quality, recommends that residents

combat indoor pollution by getting rid of sources within the home. This includes

making people smoke outside and providing exhaust hoods to get rid of

cooking-related pollutants.

[Guest guest]

I have some plants I brought from Cal, and am fine with them. The soil I used

was not

moldy. But here in Mn, it seems like it all has peat moss, which really affects

me. I can't

seem to get any from another part of the country. This may be a regional

phenomena.

I am about to throw most of my plants away, but first I plan on tenting them

with my

ozone machine, which was first used to kill fungus on plants. If that doesn't do

it. I guess I

will just have to get rid of em.

I cant handle the mold in the soil of a plant

> Janet

>

[Guest guest]

Bill Wolverton of NASA (retired) wrote a book called How To Grow

Fresh Air - 50 Houseplants That Purify Your Home of Office (1997).

This was based on his research at NASA in 1973 on how to reduce the

107 VOCs identified inside spacecraft. EPA in 1989 reports 900+ VOCs

in indoor air. He is now a private consultant with a Web site that

includes indoor air along with water issues at:

www.wolvertonenvironmental.com/air.htm

For those of you who are research oriented, at the bottom of the page

is a link to the NASA site and 25 of his reports, about a half dozen

dealing directly with plants and clean air. (especially No. 15, 21

and 22).

IF you can tolerate some plants, the mold that naturally grows on the

leaves, stems and soil can often be controlled by misting them with a

GSE product called NutriBiotic. Mix it twice the strength on the

label and spray on the plants 1-2 times a month. Also, some plants

generate chemicals that become airborne. Individual susceptibility is

still the rule.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

[Guest guest]

In my opinion I would not take the chance with house plants. I love

them just like every body else does and at one time it was the more

the better. Plants are good for indoors, but my deep concern is the

potting soil that we all have a tendency to over water.

I was just looking for a post from Dr.Lipsey a couple of years ago

on here, discussing a case of an office that was highly

contaminated, high mold spore count. The source turned out to be the

2-3 potted plants they had in the office and the mold count was in

the millions, was making the employees sick.

So why take the chance of contaminating your indoors with potted

plants (which is a very high risk)or causing more harm to yourself?

Like ozone, I'm not willing to take the chance and causing further

harm to ones health. Too much of a gamble.

KC

I cant handle the mold in the soil

of a plant

> > Janet

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I remember that my mother used to grow plants inside in large glass

bolwes filled with water- maybe this would help

I cant handle the mold in the soil of

a plant

> Janet

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Rosie,

Forgive me, but I just have to. Having a house full of " pot " plants,

some over 10 feet is a serious addiction. lol This is not something

I would advertise. Most people would be arrested for having this

contraband. You need to be alot more concerned with having this

substance in your possession and not necessarily the mold.

Sorry, I just had to. We all need to laugh every now and then.

I bet you have great eyesight. lolol

Take care,

KC

>

> Just my petals of thoughts on this. I have house full of pot

plants, small

> to large (over 10'). I'm not only concerned about mold but also

the

> original soil the plant came in and the pesticides/chemicals

sprayed on the

> plants before I purchased them.

>

> When I buy a new plant it stays outside, I wash it down with

Medina, change

> the soil, give it a new pot and put on a 2 " layer of activated

charcoal on

> top of the soil. I'm very careful not to over water the plants.

By doing

> all this I have no problems. It can be done if we use caution.

>

> Rosie

>

[Guest guest]

Sorry, ment to say " would not " advertise.

KC

> >

> > Just my petals of thoughts on this. I have house full of pot

> plants, small

> > to large (over 10'). I'm not only concerned about mold but also

> the

> > original soil the plant came in and the pesticides/chemicals

> sprayed on the

> > plants before I purchased them.

> >

> > When I buy a new plant it stays outside, I wash it down with

> Medina, change

> > the soil, give it a new pot and put on a 2 " layer of activated

> charcoal on

> > top of the soil. I'm very careful not to over water the

plants.

> By doing

> > all this I have no problems. It can be done if we use caution.

> >

> > Rosie

> >

>