Two New York reporters went four days in a pair of flip-flops risking life to prove to the habit flip-flop wearers will be thrown under the bus with nail biters. Guilty as charged. According to the study, innumerable microscopic buggers clung to the rubber flip-flops:
"The $3.50 flip-flops harbored approximately 18,100 bacteria of the five most prevalent varieties found. (Unsurprisingly, the pair that made the trip to Coney Island and stopped off in the public restroom had roughly 13,900 more bacteria.)" [NY Daily News]
In just a matter of four days, the pair picked up the potentially deadly Staphylococcus aureus.
"Worst-case scenario: It enters your bloodstream, goes untreated and you die. But even mere contact with the skin can yield nasty results."
According to Dennis Kinney Ph.D, manager of the microbiology lab at EMSL Analytical, "Staph aureus can be pretty dangerous ... This strain isn't methicillin-resistant (MRSA), but it is Staph aureus, and it can still cause infections - typically boils and skin infections."
If you're going to ignore this warning and take the risk with flip-flops I should warn you that antibacterial wipes are relatively ineffective -- it kills the good bacteria as well -- and onlookers might give you funny looks or scold you for touching your feet when you bend over to wipe. If anything, try to invest in a pair of oxfords or driving loafers for the sake of your own health and the sanity of podophobics.
-- Francis Bea
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