Why Scientists Want You To Leave Shoes At The Door
When you get home, do you de-shoe at the door? There are plenty of folks on team shoes inside the house, but if you’re one of them, you may be dragging some pretty nasty stuff inside on the bottom of your shoes.
According to CNN, environmental chemists who have spent a decade analyzing the indoor environment and the contaminants people are exposed to inside their own homes, it’s best to leave your shoes outside the door. And when you hear what they’ve found people track inside on the soles of their shoes, you’ll understand why:
- When testing the matter building up inside the home, the scientists have found that it goes beyond dust and dirt from people and pets shedding hair and skin.
- About a third of it’s from outside, either being blown in or brought in on shoe bottoms.
- Some of the microorganisms found on shoes and floor include drug-resistant pathogens, including hospital-associated germs that are tough to treat, cancer-causing toxins from asphalt road residue and endocrine-disrupting lawn chemicals.
- These environmental chemists say the science also “suggests a very strong connection” between the dangerous neurotoxin lead inside your home and that in the dirt in your yard. The soil most likely gets blown inside or brought in on your pet’s paws or …yep, your shoes.
The scientists say there are no downsides, from an environmental health standpoint, to having a shoe-free house. And if you’re just more comfortable with wearing shoes inside or need them for foot support, they offer a fix for that, too. Just have some “indoor shoes” that you never wear outside and the problem is solved.
Source: CNN
