We all know that denim is a hard wearing wonder fabric. Well, here’s another property to add to its feature list: it can help to protect against snake bites!
New research published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine looked at the effect of denim material from blue jeans on snake bites. Using glove style model limbs the researchers studied the effect of snake bites on bare and denim covered gloves. They found that “The snakes injected significantly less venom into denim-covered gloves than bare gloves during defensive strikes” and concluded:
In our model, denim clothing proved effective at reducing venom injection by both small and large rattlesnakes. Wearing long denim pants as an alternative to shorts may provide a simple, low-cost means of reducing the severity of snakebites.
It would be interesting to know whether or not premium denim provides any more protection than budget jeans.