According to flydenver.com, 120,000 people go through DIA every day. Let’s assume half go through airport security screening. At the end of a given day, this means person 60,000 is going to take their shoes off and plant their feet right on top of whatever 59,999 other people had growing on their feet.
Doesn’t this violate some sort of public health code? Does anyone have a WAG as to how much your risk of contracting foot funk is increased?
Ick.
I haven’t flown in years - do you have to take off your socks?
No, one need not remove one’s socks (at any airport at any time that I have been there). However, a not insignificant number of people deal with the problem of needing to remove and replace their shoes by wearing flip-flops, or other slip on shoes that they generally do not wear socks with.
When I was a screener at Dulles, we sprayed down the mats with Lysol after each use when some people would not be wearing socks.
Going through the security screening at the Hong Kong airport, I noticed a large metal cabinet with glass doors. The sign said (in English and Chinese), “Shoe steriliser.” In the cabinet were a number of rubber sandals. If the screener decides you’re the lucky passenger who gets to remove your shoes, you are provided with the sterilized sandals. Once you go through the rest of the screening process, your shoes are returned to you and the sandals are returned to the sterilizer.
Classic SDMB.
A post from someone who knows. 
I just asked about this of an airport security-check person at Newark recently. He said that they sprayed an antimicrobial agent on the mats at the end of the day every day. Which doesn’t offer 100% protection during the course of the day, but it’s better than nothing.
I’m not sure socks necessarily offer much protection, either. A sock can harbor a lot of moisture, especially those thin dress socks with a high polyester content… sounds like a fertile field for someone to study.
Given the breaking news of this morning re. the “disruption” of a massive U.K.-based terror plot, foot fungus suddenly seems like the least of my airport-related worries. 
:mad:
When I wear flip-flops or flimsy sandals, they don’t ask me to take off my shoes. As long as they see my feet and can tell I don’t have explosives wrapped around my toes, all seems to be well.
Have any of you been asked to take off little summery sandals for Xray?
Yep, all the time at Reagan National in DC. Even flipflops. It’s extremely annoying. But last time I was there, they had footies for people.