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Cited by 98Indoor Air Quality and Microbial ExposureOdor and Emission Control TechnologiesInfection Control and Ventilation

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Potted plants do not improve indoor air quality: a review and analysis of reported VOC removal efficiencies

Cummings, Bryan E., Waring, Michael S.·2020·Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology
DOI 10.1038/s41370-019-0175-9
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Abstract

Potted plants have demonstrated abilities to remove airborne volatile organic compounds (VOC) in small, sealed chambers over timescales of many hours or days. Claims have subsequently been made suggesting that potted plants may reduce indoor VOC concentrations. These potted plant chamber studies reported outcomes using various metrics, often not directly applicable to contextualizing plants' impacts on indoor VOC loads. To assess potential impacts, 12 published studies of chamber experiments were reviewed, and 196 experimental results were translated into clean air delivery rates (CADR, m 3/h), which is an air cleaner metric that can be normalized by volume to parameterize first-order loss indoors. The distribution of single-plant CADR spanned orders of magnitude, with a median of 0.023 m 3/h, necessitating the placement of 10-1000 plants/m 2 of a building's floor space for the combined VOC-removing ability by potted plants to achieve the same removal rate that outdoor-to-indoor air exchange already provides in typical buildings (~1 h-1). Future experiments should shift the focus from potted plants' (in)abilities to passively clean indoor air, and instead investigate VOC uptake mechanisms, alternative biofiltration technologies, biophilic productivity and well-being benefits, or negative impacts of other plant-sourced emissions, which must be assessed by rigorous field work accounting for important indoor processes.

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Metadata

Authors
Cummings, B. E., & Waring, M. S.
Affiliations
Drexel University (US)
Corresponding author
Waring, Michael S.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2019-11-06
Volume
30
Issue
2
Pages
253-261
ISSN
  • 1559-0631 (ISSN-L)
  • 1559-064X
DOI
10.1038/s41370-019-0175-9
OpenAlex
W2985694169
Cited by
98
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 5
FWCI
0.91
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Indoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure
  • Physical Sciences › Chemical Engineering › Process Chemistry and Technology › Odor and Emission Control Technologies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Infection Control and Ventilation
Keywords
potted plants, indoor air quality, volatile organic compounds, VOC removal efficiency, clean air delivery rate, biofiltration, indoor air exchange, plant uptake mechanisms, biophilic design, indoor air pollution
MeSH terms
Air Pollutants, Plants, Air Pollution, Indoor, Volatile Organic Compounds

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Potted plants do not improve indoor air quality: a review and analysis of reported VOC removal efficiencies. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1038/s41370-019-0175-9
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Cummings, B. E., & Waring, M. S. (2020). Potted plants do not improve indoor air quality: a review and analysis of reported VOC removal efficiencies. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-019-0175-9