Why are Switzerland's sewers filled with gold?

If you don't mind getting your hands a little dirty, head to Switzerland... their sewers are literally teeming with gold!

A new study commissioned by the Federal Office for the Environment reports more than $3 million dollars worth of precious metals are found annually by more than 60 wastewater treatment plants.

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See also: Where's the best place to look for buried treasure?

That means 95 pounds of gold and 6,600 pounds of silver are wasted each year.

Sadly, scientists say the precious metals aren't worth recovering, but in some areas of southern Switzerland where there are several gold refineries, "concentrations of gold in sewage sludge are sufficiently high for recovery to be potentially worthwhile."

The U.S. also potential has another gold rush on its hands.

A 2015 study estimated $13 million in gold could be recovered from the waste of one million Americans a year.

The study says those metals are coming from hair care products, detergents, and socks.

But for all those metals floating around in sewage systems, according to the Swiss study, it poses no harm to mother nature. Which brings a whole new meaning to the word 'golden throne,' just wash your hands.