The results of a new study conducted at Marymount College in New York City show why it is very important to leave your shoes outside - before entering the house.
The study, reported by Ofer Lehrer in 'Kan News', attempted to determine how much dog feces enters homes from the street in the Upper East Side neighborhood of New York, through the soles of shoes.
One of the study authors, Alessandra Leri, said in an interview that taking off shoes outside the house is a necessary step: "We found that the amounts of bacteria were amazing. The real question is - even after the feces are killed, does the bacteria remain on the sidewalks?""
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The answer is yes.
The researchers used bottles to collect rainwater that had accumulated on the city's sidewalks, and found about 31,000 fecal bacteria in each bottle, all only in areas designated as "uncontaminated.".
When researchers examined the amount of bacteria inside buildings, they found that there were far more bacteria on carpets than on floors. These bacteria can cause significant health problems.
