It is best to leave your dirt outside the door.
What pollutants are in your home?
People spend up to 90% of their time indoors, so the question of whether or not to wear shoes at home is not trivial. The policy usually focuses on the external environment for the risks of soil, air quality and the environment to public health. However, there is a growing regulatory interest in the issue of indoor air quality. The issue that surrounds your home is not just dust and dirt from people and pets shedding hair and skin. About one-third of these come from outside, whether bloated or Some of the microorganisms present in shoes and floors are drug-resistant pathogens, including hospital-related infectious agents (germs) that are difficult to treat. Add cancer-causing toxins from asphalt residues and endocrine – it disrupts lawn chemicals and you can see the dirt on your shoes with new light. READ MORE: Comparison of dust in 35 countries
A roll call from an unfortunate indoor
Our work included measuring and evaluating exposure to a range of harmful substances found in homes, such as:
Antibiotic-resistant genes (genes that make bacteria resistant to antibiotics)
disinfectant chemicals in the home environment
Perfluorinated chemicals (also known as PFAS or “chemicals forever”, due to their tendency to remain in the body and not decompose) are used everywhere in a variety of industrial, household and food packaging products.
A strong focus of our work included assessing levels of potentially toxic metals (such as arsenic, cadmium and lead) in homes in 35 countries. These infectious agents – and most importantly the dangerous neurotoxin lead – are odorless and colorless. Therefore, there is no way to know if the risks of lead exposure are only on your soils or in your water pipes or if they are also on your living room floor. Science suggests a very strong connection between lead in your home and soil in your yard. The most likely reason for this connection is the dirt that swells from your yard or you step on it in your shoes and on the furry feet of your adorable pets. This link speaks to the priority of making sure that material from your external environment stays right there. (We have tips here.) An article in the Wall Street Journal argued that shoes at home are not so bad. The author points out that E. coli – dangerous bacteria that grow in the intestines of many mammals, including humans – is so widespread that it is almost everywhere. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that it can stick to the bottom of the shoe (96% of the sole of the shoe, as the article pointed out). But let’s be clear. Although it’s nice to be a scientist and live by the term E. coli, this material is, in simpler terms, the poo-related bacteria. Whether it is ours or Fido’s, it can make us very sick if we are exposed to high levels. And let’s face it – it’s just gross. Why walk into your home if you have a very simple alternative – take your shoes off the door? READ MORE: The pollen season is getting longer and more intense
Overall, he wins without shoes
So are there any disadvantages to having a shoeless household? Aside from the occasional soft toe, in terms of environmental health there are not many disadvantages to having a home without shoes. Leaving your shoes on the mat also leaves potentially harmful pathogens there as well. We all know that prevention is much better than cure and putting shoes on the door is a basic and easy prevention activity for many of us. Do you need shoes for foot support? Easy – just have some “indoor shoes” that are never worn outside. The issue of “sterile home syndrome”, which refers to increased rates of allergies in children, remains. Some argue that it is associated with overly sterile households. Indeed, some dirt is probably beneficial as studies have shown that it helps develop your immune system and reduce the risk of allergies. But there are better and less unnecessary ways to do this than walking in with your dirty shoes. Go out, go for a hike, enjoy the wonderful countryside. Just do not bring the dirtiest parts of it to pile up and contaminate our homes. READ MORE: Do I really need a specific shoe for a particular sport? Mark Patrick Taylor is a Leading Environmental Scientist with the Environmental Protection Authority of Victoria in Australia and an Honorary Professor at Macquarie University. Gabriel Filippelli is Professor of Earth Sciences at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Executive Director of Indiana University Environmental Resilience Institute. Taylor received funding through a science grant from the Australian Government. Filippelli does not work, advise, own shares or receive funding from any company or organization that will benefit from this article and has not disclosed any relationships beyond their academic appointment.
