With some European made shoes (think Sierra Trading Post clearence items), the anti bacterial is charcoal....I assume on the basis of keeping things dry so no germs can grow.

But...wasn't it nice in the "good old days" when shoes were made of leather and rubber and we knew to let them dry out at night....whatever moisture our socks didn't pick up. These days we spend 1/2 our time figuring out what labor saving things to avoid. I'm not really an irritable person....but it is kind of funny when one thinks of it.

I know that Microban product is triclosan, which is a synthetic chemical that decomposes into products that are known to be quite toxic and persistent in the environment. Microban does a good job of hiding the composition of their product on their web site. Why? It's probably rated as being okay and safe, but many other chemicals have also had that safety net and have subsequently been found to be not so good for us. Silver has been used for centuries (acutally thousands of years), with no known ill-effects. So, as a mother & chemist, I will put my kids in the shoes from Lands End that use Agion's silver stuff.

Thanks so much for the information about the chemial shoes and for the information about the Land's End shoes.

I can not tolerate Microban/triclosan in anything. It makes me very short of breath, with coughing, and causes me to have migraines, burning lungs, eyes and mucus membranes. I found this out the hard way. I've had to throw away or return products, such as my husbands underwear, air cleaners and dehumifiers with Microban in the filters. Triclosan is found in some hand sanitizers, dishwashing liquids and a lot of other products. Even toothpaste and toothbrushes can contain it, and my husband saw that it is in some new kitchen sinks, on the market. It is used in a lot of different products. That is a substance that is suspected of contributing to antibiotic resistant infections. It is not safe for some of us, despite what the company says.

Aloha from Hawaii, After buying a pair of top of the line Teva slippers (flip flops) with Microban it felt strange when I wore them once. So I did a little phoning to Teva and on line searching and found out that Microban seems to be a by-product of the chemicals like Round Up. The parent groups on line talk about it in toys and I remember my child getting gift of a toy years ago with it in the doll and we got rid of it then and there as it seemed toxic. I will avoid it and tell people to do so, the web has alot of info and I am calling out to you to do your homework!!!!!

Aloha from Hawaii, After buying a pair of top of the line Teva slippers(flip flops) with Microban it felt strange when I wore them once.So I did a little phoning to Teva and on line searching and found out that Microban seems to be a by-product of the chemicals like Round Up. The parent groups on line talk about it in toys and I remember my child getting gift of a toy years ago with it in the doll and we got rid of it then and there as it seemed toxic.I will avoid it and tell people to do so,the web has alot of info and I am calling out to you to do your homework!!!!!

The chemical may inhibit the germs on the soles of shoes to reproduce but it does not stop the germ from remaining there, which makes the shoes mostly ineffective, and also some of those shoes basis is that it uses some type of material to keep the sole dry so it prohibits the growing of germs on damp areas, but viruses and bacteria are unlike protozoa and fungi, they don't need damp areas to grow. So be wise when choosing what shoe to buy. The FDA didn't take these things in consideration.