Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States with over 150,000 deaths and over 230,000 new cases reported in 2018.

Household air pollution is one of the top 5 risk factors contributing to death worldwide.

Lung cancer is linked to household air pollution as new discoveries of toxic chemical off-gassing in home products and materials are being studied.

The top cancer-causing chemicals contributing to household air pollution and increased risk of lung cancer are formaldehyde, asbestos, nitrogen dioxide, radon, second-hand smoke, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

EPA regulations have helped reduce some of these toxic indoor chemicals but of these, the VOCs are left into the hands of homeowners to remove them from their home if they wish to reduce exposure.

VOCs include formaldehyde, benzene, and toluene and can be found in these common household sources:

  • Paint, paint strippers
  • Varnishes and finishes
  • Caulks and sealants
  • Adhesives
  • Flooring, carpet, pressed wood products
  • Cleaners and disinfectants
  • Furniture
  • Pesticides
  • Air fresheners
  • Cosmetics and deodorants
  • Fuel oil, gasoline
  • Tobacco smoke
  • Dry-cleaned clothing
  • Arts and crafts products: glues, permanent markers, etc.
  • Wood burning stoves
  • Office printers and copiers
  • source: American Lung Association

The best prevention of lung cancer contributed by these sources is to remove them completely from your home.  This would be very challenging as many sources are used to build your home.

The next best prevention tip I have is to add indoor houseplants that actually remove these volatile organic compounds contributing to lung cancer.  YES, there really are indoor houseplants that can filter out these toxic chemicals potentially saving your life from lung cancer. This is one of many benefits to having indoor plants!

There are a few more prevention tips you can take such as replacing furniture with chemical-free natural bamboo products and furniture along with using all natural household cleaners.

Adding air purifiers in the home is a very efficient method to reduce indoor air pollution and is a very cost-effective option.  Plus, they add attractive aesthetics to the interior design and provide oxygen.

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Here are the top 6 indoor air purifying houseplants that might save your life from lung cancer:

All of these indoor houseplants remove all 3 cancer-causing VOCs discussed earlier (formaldehyde, benzene, & toluene) according to NASA’s Clean Air Study.

To see the actual levels of your indoor air pollution and compare them after adding indoor houseplants to see how well they are working, I highly suggest this air quality detector.  It also detects particulate matter in the air if you are sensitive to allergies or have asthma aggravated by PM.  An air quality detector is also very useful when traveling and staying in hotel rooms or guesthouses.

There are links to these live plants you can order on Amazon to help you get started on cleaning your indoor air quality today and to help support the gardeners who wish to help support your health as well.

Most indoor gardeners have more than one of these air purifying plants to increase the efficiency of filtering out these cancer-causing toxic chemicals.

English Ivy

My favorite Ivy houseplant is the ‘glacier’ type.  The leaves are blue-green with creamy white edges.  English Ivy is very easy to take care of and is the most popular houseplant.  They are also very easy to grow more Ivy plants from just one plant increasing its air-purifying capabilities.

Peace Lily

Everybody loves the Peace Lily with its enchanting white flowers that flower all year round and grows well in low light.  Also, an easy plant to care for indoors.  You can get the peace lily in a 4 pack of other air purifying plants that are included in this list here.

Bamboo Palm

Indoor Palm trees add a beautiful tropical look inside and we found a good deal for 2 plants here.  Palms are very difficult to kill and do the air purifying job very well.

Snake Plant

The rumor is these plants are impossible to kill.  That must be why they are so popular! They are also growing popular with bohemian style interior design. Here’s an inspiring article recommending other plants that compliment those free spirits out thereand who want to match their personalities with more air purifying indoor plants. Another good deal to explore with this 3 pack.

Red-Edged Dracaena

The Dracaena is one of my favorites.  It looks very exotic compared to the others and I love the red edge color.

Golden Devil’s Ivy Pothos

Something interesting about this indoor houseplant is that it can actually help filter cigarette smoke too.  Even if you smoke outside or have friends that smoke, second-hand smoke can still make its way indoors.

All of these plants are extremely popular and serve a very good purpose for your health.  Each plant can efficiently clean 100 square feet or more of home space.  More than one will help you reduce your risk of lung cancer the best.  I personally love them all!

*We thank you so much for sharing our valuable information and will strive to continue to educate and inspire backed by scientific research.*

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