Off-gassing is a major indoor air quality issue when new household purchases or improvements are made. Off-gassing is the evaporation of volatile chemicals at normal atmospheric pressure. Building materials release chemicals through evaporation and can continue to off-gas for years after materials are initially installed, so we continually breathe in these chemicals as we work, sleep and relax in our homes. Materials such as paints, stains, varnishes, carpet, insulation, flooring, kitchen cabinets and countertops, plywood, particleboard, and paint strippers produce significant off-gassing. There are literally thousands of products that emit toxic gasses into the air, some for a short period; others for a lengthy amount of time. Products such as new furniture, mattresses, carpet, foam, particle board, cleaning supplies, air fresheners and dry cleaned clothes are just a few that off-gas.
The EPA has found that levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were 2-5 times higher inside homes than outside. The first indicator that a household item is off-gassing is the odor. Off-gassing is easy to detect at first because you can smell it. For example paints and varnishes have a particularly repulsive odor. Most of those fumes are from VOCs and instinctively humans want to avoid it. Over time odors are harder to detect and with multiple products off-gassing simultaneously VOCs may go unobserved.
Effects from the toxins depend on the level of exposure and length of time exposed. Exposure to VOCs has been known to cause eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver, kidney, and central nervous system. At this time, little research has been done on the health effects from VOCs in the home. However, many VOCs are known to cause cancer in animals and are suspected to cause cancer in humans.
To improve the overall air quality in the home there are some common house plants that are naturally better at absorbing VOCs than others. Palms, ferns, corn plant, dragon tree (dracaena), rubber plant, English ivy, florist mum, gerber daisy, dumb cane (dieffenbachia), schefflera, orchid, spider plant, philodendron, arrowhead plant, pothos, dwarf banana and Chinese evergreen have been proven to do so. In the late 1980’s NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) developed a research plan to determine how air could be purified in long term orbiting space stations. The study involved 19 houseplants sealed in test chambers that contained pollutants such as formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene which are all common VOCs. What they found was that many of the plants that grow in tropical climates under dense canopies in low light conditions are especially efficient in capturing light and processing gasses for photosynthesis; because of this they also have a stronger ability to remove toxic gasses and VOCs from the air.
