Peace Lily may be bad for you . . .

It is a well-known fact that keeping plants indoors is a good way to improve indoor air quality.  They release carbon dioxide and assist in removing harmful volatile organic compounds (VOC) from the air.  But certain varieties of seemingly harmless and very common indoor house plants have been found to release VOCs.  The top two offenders?  The peace lily and the areca palm, both of which are common plant varieties in homes and office buildings.  Researchers at the University of Georgia discovered that these species along with a few others that were tested release VOCs in varying levels.  While they don’t recommend throwing out your plants they do feel that further study is in order to determine if there are any risks.  You can read the full report at http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/44/2/396