Leaving Shoes at the Door Reduces Lead Exposure in the Home

In talking with our Environmental Medicine Expert, Dr. Tom Drost, MD, I found out something I never knew before. One of the biggest ways lead gets into our homes is from tracking it in on our shoes. Yep, you heard right. We walk around collecting all kinds of nasty things on our feet, one of which is lead, and we track it throughout the house!

When he posed the question to me as to what I thought was the most common sources of lead was in the home, I thought lead pipes or paint, but I was wrong. My own dirty shoes are the biggest culprit of all. Frown I’ve worn shoes in the home my entire life – it’s a comfort thing. No more.

By leaving shoes at the door one can significantly reduce lead exposure in the home. Just removing shoes before entering the home cuts lead dust by up to 60%. By keeping the house and floors clean (lead sticks to house dust) and removing shoes over a 5-month period, lead exposure in the home is reduced by over 98%!

Some interesting facts on shoes and lead in the home from what is known as:

The Door Mat Study

Considering that no one gets away from being exposed to lead, and, that we all have near or toxic levels in our bodies, it seems like a no-brainer to begin reducing exposure simply by leaving our dirty shoes at the door.

For more information on our heavy metal toxicity (chelation) program, check out our site:

Oaktree Wellness Chelation Therapy and Heavy Metal Toxicity