Delhi, Invest In These Plants If You Want To Breathe Cleaner Air

If you’ve been in the nation’s capital in the last 6 months or spent the teensiest bit of time on Facebook, you know that Delhi’s pollution levels are downright dangerous, making it to the top 20 most polluted cities in the world according to this report. For those who have to deal with this on the daily, not much can be done apart from wearing a mask and escaping to the mountains every chance you get. This is where it get’s better - NASA collaborated with the Associated Contractors of America, and released a list of plants that have air cleaning properties and the actual chemicals that each one helps clean. What better way to start than by cleansing the air that circulates around you?

According to the ‘NASA Guide to Air-FIltering Plants’ as seen in this report, there are five main chemicals that traverse through our air - trichloroethylene (found in inks, paints varnishes), Formaldehyde (found in paper bags, waxed paper, facial tissues, paper towels), Benzene (found in tobacco smoke, vehicle exhausts), Xylene (found in tobacco smoke, rubber, leather and paint industries), and ammonia (found mostly in cleaning products). The guide also discusses some of the effects that these chemicals have on humans, as shown in the infographic below.

In order to combat these toxins ever present in our air, the guide has listed the names of plants alongside the actual chemicals that it will help to cleanse. According to the study, the most effective plants for the job are The Florist’s Mum and Peace Lily. According to this report, “NASA recommends having at least one plant per 100 square feet of space” so be sure to judge your space before you make your way to the nursery. Without further ado, these are the plants you need to have in your home today.