Death by Flip-Flop? Dangerous Germs Could be Lurking in Your Favorite Summer Footwear

Posted Aug 11th 2009 at 12:15PM by Lesley Kennedy (Subscribe to Lesley Kennedy's posts)

Filed under: News

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Dirty flip-flops can carry potentially harmful bacteria and germs. Photo: Getty Images

Here's one for the that's-just-so-gross files.

The New York Daily News sent two reporters out around NYC wearing $3.50 flip-flops for four days.

They hit bars and a baseball game. They rode the train. They dared to enter a public restroom at the Coney Island subway station. The rubber sandals were then sent to a lab -- and, guess what? They were riddled with icky, nasty and potentially deadly germs.

The one that makes a flip-flop-lovin' gal shudder? Analysts found Staphylococcus aureus -- a bacteria that can kill you if left untreated.

"If you wear shoes for three months, 93 percent have fecal bacteria and 20 percent have E. coli," the News quotes Dr. Charles P. Gerba, professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona, as saying.

Other germs -- Tempted to toss your well-worn flips? Here are some cleaning tips. But today, we'll be wearing shoes. With socks.

Source

Tags: bacteria, coney-island, flip-flops

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)

wes 8-11-2009 @ 3:11PM

As someone who has chronic foot pain, my podiatrist will not even treat me, unless I where shoes indoors and out 24/7. That is bad medicine. He says it gives support, I say it causes chronic pain to get so bad I require narcotics to function, thus running up my foot bill and footware bill. Doctors in America are worse than Serbia. I know a Serbian Physician, who was shocked to see medical staff coming to and leaving work in their scrubs, and hospital shoes. In other countries, to prevent disease spread, hospial workers are required to leave hospital clothes at the hospital to be sanitized, and shoes are not to leave the hospital.

Cari 8-11-2009 @ 2:48PM

This is stupid. So don't lick them. "Shocking news: Shoes got dirty!" Stupid.

okthen 8-12-2009 @ 8:43AM

I agree! How stupid! Did they test the bottom of other shoes? Of course we step in "gunk" that's point of shoes right? Protect your feet....duh.

jenny 8-12-2009 @ 10:10AM

staph is all over everyones body. we're covered in bacteria. so who cares if it's on a flip flop? what a stupid story.

megan 8-12-2009 @ 12:00PM

This is the most disturbingly unintelligent article it has ever been my misfortune to read... they might as well have written an article that says; "Fish Swim? Fascinating evidence that fish live in aqueous environments!"

Nikki 8-12-2009 @ 12:13PM

Yeah really. I mean all shoes would have that on the bottoms. Duh.

Jenny 8-11-2009 @ 2:54PM

Living in the south I wear flipflops all year around. I always wipe my feet off with antibacterial wet wipes after entering our home. The flipflops stay outside. You can also use Clorox wipes to disenfect the flipflops.

web 8-11-2009 @ 3:17PM

try indoor house shoes to walk to your bathroom.

augusted 8-11-2009 @ 2:59PM

heck, i don't even wear shoes and i go every where from the farm to town. build you're immune up a little, it's to the point where not many people have much of an immune system anymore

Kelly 8-12-2009 @ 6:38AM

absolutely. I see on a regular basis moms taking the kids to a Dr just because they have a runny nose. They don't let the kids get dirty! Some kids have been on so many antibiotics they are immune to them now. I hope they never get really sick!

As for my beloved flip flops I'm going to keep wearing them!

mcurtis2962 8-12-2009 @ 11:26AM

Amen to that augusted. I grew up barefoot from dawn to dusk and was perfectly healthy. Still take my shoes off every chance I get.
People now days are such wimps.

Peggy 8-11-2009 @ 3:11PM

I agree with the stupidity of this subject,, but you all have to agree,, what a disgusting fact huh?

WEB 8-11-2009 @ 3:23PM

Ever see a mensroom floor, with urine all over the floor, and rarely anyone washing their hands, urine spitting back from the urinals, and automatic toilets airating filth, men peeing on men standing next to them. Thats disgusting, but a way of life for Americans.

Whisper 8-13-2009 @ 2:19PM

Unless some one has an UTI urine is steril anyway.. its poo that you have to worry about .. and the way the bacteria leave the toilet is via the flush .. now that is grose your standing there getting sprayed by poo water from the toilet , its no wonder some places still dont have flushing toilets .. it may be cleaner.

Larry Schmidt 8-11-2009 @ 3:38PM

So regular shoes are okay?

Deborah 8-11-2009 @ 7:41PM

Yeah, exactly!!! Like only flip flops would be collecting germs! I wonder who hates flip flops so much that they would write this article this way??!!

ashleigh 8-11-2009 @ 3:40PM

Big deal! And why just focus on flip-flops? ALL shoes get guncked up with dirt, germs and filth, yes?! If I wore tennis shoes to all those places listed in the article, do you think they'd be sanitary? Or pumps or wingtips or flats any other shoe out there? Shoes get dirty when we walk outside... Big revelation! This is news?

Renata 8-11-2009 @ 6:45PM

You are absolutely correct! And, the people wearing those shoes put their hands on them -often including soles- to take them off and put them on, and, how often (not!) do you think most of them wash their hands after touching those nasties? LOL!

Dorothy 8-12-2009 @ 8:18AM

Yea, isn't this the reason we wear shoes? To keep all this crap off our feet? Flip flops, sandals, loafers... what's the difference?

So, do they think we'd be better off walking around in our bare feet?

What a stupid report!