Bringing Nature Indoors:
The Myths and Realities of Plants in Buildings

According to some accounts, indoor plants can solve almost any problem, from air quality to occupant stress levels. But do those claims hold up? Studies showing that plants can filter dangerous chemicals out of the air, including one famous study funded by NASA in the 1980s, have proven difficult to replicate, and the rates of filtration are low. It would take an enormous number of plants to clean the air in an entire building. Some hydronic systems have shown promise...