Doctors have warned Americans not to keep their shoes on indoors because of the serious health risks.
Shoes worn outdoors can pick up harmful bacteria such as e-coli, which can lead to life-threatening kidney failure.
You could also scavenge fecal matter from public bathrooms, explains Dr. Kunal Sood, a pain management specialist who works in Maryland.
It is estimated that approximately 265,000 e-coli infections occur in the US each year and approximately 10 people die from related diseases.
Dr. Sood adds that shoes can also contain pesticides, which have been linked to certain cancers and birth defects in children.
His warnings are based in part on the results of a study by researchers at the University of Arizona, which found that 96 percent of shoes tested picked up more bacteria than hands and floors.
“This included harmful bacteria like E-coli, which can cause both stomach and urinary tract infections,” Dr Sood said in a video on his TikTok channel.
In addition to bacteria, shoes can also transfer hormone-disrupting chemicals such as pesticides and even fecal matter from toilets.”
Human fecal matter contains hundreds of bacteria, viruses and parasites, including Salmonella and Campylobacter, which can be fatal.
Leave shoes at the entrance to the house and ideally outside, experts say
‘The best way to avoid this is of course not to wear shoes indoors, but if someone does, make sure you clean the floor.’
The advice of Dr. Sood echoes that of environmental scientists.
Experts from Macquarie University and Indiana University Environmental Resilience Institute wrote for CBS News in May that taking off shoes at the door is an “easy prevention activity” to prevent nasty infections.