Clean air is important for health, yet many homes are rife with(充满，充斥) pollutants. Household products such as cleaning solvents, waxes, paints and varnishes often contain volatile organic compounds(挥发性有机化合物) like benzene and toluene, which can cause skin irritation, eye damage, neurological disorders and cancer. Furnishings and carpets, for their part, can slowly release formaldehyde(甲醛), another carcinogenic molecule.
清洁的空气对健康至关重要，然而许多家庭中污染物随处可见。清洁溶剂、蜡、油漆和清漆等家用产品常含有苯和甲苯等挥发性有机化合物，这些物质可引起皮肤刺激、眼部损伤、神经系统疾病和癌症。家具和地毯则可能缓慢释放甲醛，另一种致癌分子。
The presence of these toxins is particularly problematic(成问题的) for children who spend much of their time indoors and have sensitive lungs. Air purifiers can help, but houseplants have in recent years been marketed as(被宣传为) a more aesthetic alternative. Amazon, an e-commerce giant, sells plants described as being for “air purification” alongside more conventional categories such as “low-maintenance” and “pet-friendly”. But how good a job(做得有多好) can plants actually do?
这些毒素的存在对儿童尤其成问题，他们大部分时间待在室内，肺部敏感。空气净化器有帮助，但近年来室内植物被作为一种更美观的替代品推广。电商巨头亚马逊销售被描述为“空气净化”的植物，与“低维护”和“宠物友好”等更常规的分类并列。但植物实际上能起到多大作用呢？
Scientists have long known that plants can change the composition of the air around them as they breathe, turning carbon dioxide into oxygen in the process. The first good evidence to suggest that they might filter pollutants at the same time emerged in the 1980s, when NASA exposed a number of plants housed in small Plexiglas(有机玻璃) chambers to air contaminated with formaldehyde. These experiments, which lasted many hours, concluded that spider plant(吊兰)s, among others(以及其他), were effective at removing the toxin from the air.
科学家早就知道植物在呼吸时会改变周围空气的成分，将二氧化碳转化为氧气。第一个表明它们可能同时过滤污染物的有力证据出现在1980年代，当时NASA（美国国家航空航天局）将大量置于小型有机玻璃室中的植物暴露于受甲醛污染的空气中。这些持续数小时的实验得出结论，蜘蛛兰等植物能有效去除空气中的毒素。