Has anyone else ever heard of antibacterial socks before? No? Good to know that I'm not alone.
But if you have heard about them, or worse yet, actually use them (why?!), you should know that scientists are beginning to worry that the stuff used to make these garments may actually be harming the environment in a big way.
According to MNN.com, "Researchers are concerned that silver nanoparticles — antibacterial agents used in a range of products, including odor-free socks — have been escaping into the water system and killing friendly bacteria often used to treat wastewater."
Why is this so bad? Well, consider the experiment where the silver nanoparticles were placed into a tub of stream water. After about a week, that tub produced "four times more nitrous oxide" than the tub without the nanoparticles, which means that these little guys could have a big impact on the production of greenhouse gases.
Here's a general rule of thumb, most anti-bacterial soaps, sanitizers and (now apparently) socks are going to have chemicals in them that aren't good for the environment. If you want to keep yourself clean, go to your local health food store or look around in your grocery store for all-natural products (you'd be amazed at the green products local stores carry these days). Not only will the all-natural stuff be healthier for your skin, you won't be washing human generated chemicals down the drain.
Besides, when you really think about it, aren't antibacterial socks something that could be filed under Something I Totally Don't Need?
Exactly.
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