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The original was posted on /r/collapse by /u/Astalon18 on 2023-08-19 13:08:17+00:00.

This is more an adaptation question, and it is courtesy of one of my niece.

As most people know, air pollution due to forest fires, heat waves, etc… etc… is getting worse. In the cities, air pollution despite all kinds of regulation is not exactly the best ( better than prior to regulations, but definitely not the best either ).

As a result of this, a lot of people in urban areas have electric particulate air filters alongside their air conditioning units.

My niece last year landed a job that mandates more or less she stays in a city. It is a very good paying job and as a result of this she has landed herself an apartment which is so nice it has large balconies. Her apartment also has an air-conditioning unit that has an air filter system and she also has numerous air filters through her apartment.

She has also experienced two blackouts which meant she cannot run those appliances.

My cousin is very pessimistic about the future and fully anticipates one day during a a heatwave with high air pollution index there will be no power for two to three days. Her question is what plants or plants systems can somewhat improve air quality indoors for the time ( accepting it will not be as good as air filters ).

I have told her according to old NASA research and various research the trinity of spider plants, English Ivy or pothos, and peace lilies are found to be most effective at dealing with things like formaldehyde, benzene and trichloethylene. However, these are not outdoor pollutants. These are indoor pollutants. I do not believe they have been studied to deal with particulate matters.

While there are research that a combination of moss, ferns, bamboos etc… can reduce air particulates in an area, these are over an area of 5m in width of these plants growing. In short you cannot use these techniques for apartments. They are also usually studied as buffer plants against car pollution along roadside, not if you have something like smog from nearby forest fires burning.

Am I misleading her by indicating that unless she can find a 10m wide balcony and just pack it with plants there are no botanical alternatives that we know of? She seems to think that if she covers her balcony with rows of spider plants and crotons she might be able to reduce it ( which I cannot find much evidence for, both just deals with formaldehydes).

Any help or advise will be appreciated.