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“The health effects of air pollution imperil human lives. This fact is well-documented.” - Eddie Burnice Johnson
Air is the life force that keeps us alive. But, today, the extent of air pollution is making us question if we are breathing in life or death! According to the World Health Organization, around 4.2 million deaths occur every year as a result of exposure to ambient air pollution. Stroke, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and respiratory infections are some diseases caused by air pollution. If pollution caused by rapid industrialization, excessive usage of fossil fuels, vehicles and other factors keeps on increasing, sadly, it will become impossible for us to step outside of our homes without a mask. This would mean that pandemic or no pandemic masks will become an indispensable part of our lives. Otherwise, breathing in polluted air will damage our lungs and expose us to numerous diseases.
Now, let’s come back from the future. Even today, the quality of air that most of us breathe is not good. In 2020, about 68 million tons of pollution were emitted into the atmosphere in the United States.
Imagine, how many pollutants do we breathe in on a daily basis! Moreover, there are many cities in the United States, where the Air Quality Index is high, which indicates that the air is unhealthy for breathing. Terrel in Texas, Prescott in Arizona and Staunton in Illinois are the cities with the highest air pollution levels.
The picture of the rest of the world in terms of air quality is no different. Wherever you go, air pollution will chase you like a monster. The worst thing is that we are careful about everything. We want to protect everything that we have. We get auto insurance to protect our vehicles, business insurance to protect our companies, etc. But, we have forgotten about our health. Shouldn’t we ensure our healthy living first and focus on everything else later?
Now, what can we do to purify the air that we breathe? Reducing pollution is the obvious solution but that requires combined efforts from the entire humanity. Till such combined efforts yield some results, should we keep breathing unhealthy air? The answer is definitely a big ‘no’. What we can do is purify the air for ourselves and our near and dear ones.
Are you thinking about purchasing an air purifier? If yes, there is something even better that you can do. There is a natural green way to purify air inside your home and it is to bring some air-purifying plants. These plants will not only beautify your house but also absorb pollutants and keep the air clean.
English Ivy is known for its beauty as a houseplant. But, this beautiful plant can not only beautify your home, it can also remove harmful chemicals that may be present in the air inside your home. According to NASA, English Ivy is one of the top 10 air-purifying plants that can help improve the quality of air inside your home. The best thing about this plant is that it can grow in full sun to full shade. This implies that it can grow well in all sorts of conditions. Moreover, if you take proper care of English Ivy, it can survive for many years. So, are you planning to bring this beautiful air-purifying plant home?
Spider plant is a greenish-white beautiful plant with sharp slim leaves. This is an easy to care houseplant that can thrive in bright, indirect light. It works wonders in removing harmful pollutants such as formaldehyde and benzene. By removing these pollutants, it improves the air quality inside your house. But, this plant detests soggy soil. It is imperative to let it dry in between waterings.
Gerbera daisies are bright, colorful flowers that are long-lasting and 6 to 18 inches tall. Gerberas produce flowers from late spring to autumn. These plants can remove benzene from the air inside your home and purify it. Along with this, the beautiful colors of these daisies can have mood-enhancing effects. As these plants begin to flower, believe me, you’ll feel extremely elated to see them. You’ll also wait for new flowers to bloom every day and they’ll certainly become a reason for a smile on your face. This can reduce stress and anxiety, making gerbera daisies effective for stress management too.
Dragon tree, also known as Dracaena is a popular houseplant that is captivating to the eyes. Its color ranges from green to purple. It is bold, long with sword-shaped foliage. The best thing about this plant is that it can remove volatile organic compounds and other pollutants from the air. It can also remove harmful gases and leave clean air for you to breathe. Moreover, dragon trees are known for increasing concentration and focus. These plants also require low maintenance which makes them perfect for keeping indoors. If you are an entrepreneur, you can also keep dragon trees in your company to increase employee engagement, concentration and productivity.
Snake plants are one of the best plants known for improving indoor air quality. If you bring them into your home, they can improve the air quality considerably and thus, reduce the air quality index inside your home. There is nothing better than breathing better quality air. It is good for your brain, reduces stress, keeps your skin healthy and improves mood. Further, the best thing about the snake plant or mother-in-laws tongue is that it is a low-maintenance plant. But, you have to take care that you nourish them with a balanced quantity of water. Snake plants cannot thrive in too much water or its scarcity.
Broad Lady palm also known as broadleaf lady palm is an excellent air-purifying plant. It can filter out pollutants such as benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, xylene and nitrogen oxide from the air inside your house. With such a wide range of filtering effects, this plant is one of the best ones that you can bring home. The dark green leaves and bamboo-like stems will captivate your heart. If you actually plan to bring broad lady palm home, it is imperative for you to know that this plant can only tolerate low light. So, you should not keep it in direct sunlight.
Peace lilies as the name suggests are peaceful to the eyes. Not only this, they also promote mental peace with their peaceful and tender appearance. You’ll fall in love with these plants at the first sight. They are white in color with dark green stems. These plants are excellent for fighting toxic gases such as formaldehyde and carbon monoxide. The best part is that they are easy to care for and they can communicate to you when they need watering. If they lack water, they’ll start drooping. But, one important thing to note about these plants is that they can be a little toxic for pets and us too. So, it is important to wash your hands after touching them.
Clean air is one of the most important requirements for healthy living. But, sadly the quality of air that we breathe in today is not good. Millions of people die every year because of air pollution. It is time that we start taking appropriate actions to prevent our health from suffering because of air pollution. The very first step that you can take is to bring some air-purifying plants home. You can choose any of the air-purifying plants that you feel will be the best for your home. As you bring some of these plants home, you’ll notice a significant change in your overall mood and energy level. Wish you All the very best and a happy and healthy life ahead.
