Mark Patrick Taylor Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria and Honorary Professor, Macquarie University, Gabriele Filippelli Chancellor Professor of Earth Sciences and Executive Director of the Indiana University Institute for Environmental Resilience, IUPUI,
You probably clean your shoes if you step on a dirty or disgusting spot (please pick up after your dog!). But when you go home, do you always D-shoe at the door,
Many people don’t. for many, what you pull on the bottom of your shoes It’s the last thing on your mind when you get home.
We are environmental chemists who have spent over a decade investigating the indoor environment and the contaminants that people are exposed to in their homes. However, our examination of the indoor environment through our dustsafe programOn the question of whether to take shoes off or take off shoes at home, science leans towards the latter.
People spend 90% of their time indoors, so the question of whether or not to wear shoes at home is not a trivial one.
The focus of policy is generally on the outdoor environment for soil, air quality and environmental public health risks. However, there is growing regulatory interest in this question. indoor air quality,
Case under construction The inside of your home is not only comprised of dust and dirt that falls off hair and skin from people and pets.
about a third of it from outsideeither blown or trampled At the bottom of those offending shoes.
Some microorganisms are present on shoes and floors drug resistant pathogensIncluding hospital-associated infectious agents (germs) that are very difficult to treat.
add to cancer-causing toxins from asphalt road debris and endocrine-disruptors lawn chemicalsAnd you can see the dirt on your shoes in a whole new light.
Roll-call of the indoor nasties
Our work involves measurement and assessment of exposure to a range of harmful substances found inside homes including:
A strong focus of our work involves assessing the levels potentially toxic metals (such as arsenic, cadmium, and lead) throughout the houses 35 nations,
These contaminants – and most importantly the dangerous neurotoxin lead – are odorless and colourless. So there’s no way to know whether your body is the only one at risk of exposure to lead. Soil or your water pipesor if they’re on you too living room floor,
Science suggests a very strong connection between the leads in your home and that in the soil of your yard,
The most likely cause of this connection is dirt flying in from your yard or on your shoes, and on the furry paws of your beloved pets.
This connection speaks to the priority of making sure that matter from your external environment stays right there. (we have tips Here,
Shoes on or off? Some scientists say that it is better not to track germs indoors.
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Recent Wall Street Journal Article Argued that the shoes in the house are not so bad. the author said e coli – Dangerous bacteria that grow in the intestines of many mammals, including humans, are so widely distributed that they are almost everywhere. So it should come as no surprise that it can be dusted off the sole of a shoe (96% of the sole of a shoe, as mentioned in the article).
But let’s be clear. although it’s good to be scientific and stick with the word e coliTo put it more simply, this stuff is bacteria associated with feces.
Whether it’s ours or Fido’s, it has the potential to make us very ill if we’re exposed to high levels. And let’s face it – it’s just plain gross.
Why carry it around the inside of your house if you have the much simpler option of taking your shoes off at the door?
on balance, cheeky wins
So what are the disadvantages of having a shoe-free household?
beyond occasional toeFrom an environmental health perspective, there are not many disadvantages to having a shoe-free home. Leaving your shoes on the entry mat also releases potentially harmful pathogens.
We all know that prevention is better than cure and for many of us taking off our shoes at the door is a basic and easy prevention activity.
Need shoes to support your feet? Easy — just get some “indoor shoes” that will never break out outside.
There remains the issue of “Sterile House Syndrome”, which refers to the increased rates of allergies in children. some argue that it is related to very sterile house,
Actually, Some Dirt Might Be Beneficial studies It is indicated that it helps to develop your immune system and reduce the risk of allergies.
But there are better and less gross ways to do it than walking around with your dirty shoes inside. Get outside, go hiking, enjoy the great outdoors.
Just don’t bring the dirty parts of it inside to build up and contaminate our homes.
This article is republished from Conversation Under Creative Commons Licence. read the original article,
