Disposable Diapers...
Most of you know that have read my blog for any length of time, know that I am against using disposable diapers, for a couple of reasons. One is pollution and the other is health. I keep thinking about all the health problems on the rise in children and can't help but wonder if there is a correlation to the use of the ugly, dangerous super absorbent materials used in the diapers of today. I never used disposable diapers on my children and never had a stinky house from diapers, or felt overwhelmed by washing diapers. Travelled across country by car with cloth diapers, and never had a baby with a bad rash ! You may not have babies at home, but you might have grandchildren so spread the word. Not all my children have listened to the facts but I have certainly preached on the subject enough that I feel I did all I could. Just check out the safety guidelines for companies that use the material ! Think about putting that stuff up against your babies tender skin.
Here is a bit of information about the materials used in disposable diapers of today.
A DIRTY DIAPER IS A DIRTY DIAPER
"Disposables will hold about 7 lbs. of fluid, but how long do you want your child in a used diaper? A dirty diaper is a dirty diaper, and should be changed to prevent bacterial infections.
Source: "The Facts: Cloth Versus Disposable Diapers" by The Canadian Cloth Diaper Association.
Procter and Gamble reports an average of 5.4 diaper changes are to be made per day (wearing their diaper). Fearer notes, however, that "a number of researchers and pediatricians say responsible sanitary care dictates changes every 2 hours."
Even infertility rates in males may be linked to disposable diapers. So, they are dry, but are they cool? It is thought that disposables may heat-up a boys testicles to the point that it stops them from developing normally. "Diapers lined with plastic raise the temperature of the scrotum far above body temperature and can lead to a total breakdown of normal cooling mechanisms, according to the study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood (6)."
So, WHO CARES if it is super-absorbent?! Why pay for super-absorbency? You SHOULD NOT NEED SUPER-ABSORBENT DIAPERS, but instead, recognize that your child needs to be kept in CLEAN diapers! This not only keeps them DRY, but also RASH FREE. If you wet your pants, would you sit in them or change them? Why should we treat our children less than we would treat ourselves? Can we justify it away because diapers are not the same as underwear? Why not? Any woman that has worn a disposable maxi pad for any amount of time has a small taste of what it would feel like to wear a diaper. Again, things that make you go hmmmmmmm. The Golden Rule could most definitely apply here.
The cloth diapers (nappies) of today, I found, are incredible - plush, absorbent without chemicals, and varied. Even the simple pull-on covers have gravitated away from plastic toward nylon (breathable, but leak-free) to allow heat to escape, the baby's skin to breathe, but momma's lap to stay dry and longer durability. The options are endless - more even than the disposable market offers.
You would think that all the above information would be enough for a final decision, but it really didn't seal the issue for me. I'm thinking, "Okay, but STILL disposables are more convenient (We are often willing to PAY for convenience, right?) and I can always change them more often to avoid rashes." Well, the health issues are absolutely threatening for our children - and this is where my resistance to cloth diapering gave in.
Let's talk about our children's health and the mounting evidence about the synthetic chemicals and their by-products that can be found in disposable diapers. Below are some defining characteristics of the chemicals known for their acute and chronic effects that we put against our baby's skin. And I say known, because so many of our man-made chemicals and their by-products HAVE NOT been studied - and we are all aware that what we don't know CAN hurt us/our children. Whether or not some of the information is speculative should not allow us to dismiss the possibilities. My children are NOT guinea pigs for the next generation. I'll lean to the conservative side!
SODIUM POLYACRYLATE - This is the chemical, added in powder form to the inner pad of a disposable, that makes it super-absorbent. When the powdered form becomes wet, it turns into a gel. THESE ARE THE SHINY GEL-LIKE CRYSTALS I FOUND ON MY DAUGHTER'S PRIVATES WHEN CHANGING HER.
Properties:
It can absorb up to 100X its weight in water (1).
It can stick to baby's genitals, causing allergic reactions (2).
Reported to cause severe skin irritations, oozing blood from perineum and scrotal tissues, fever, vomiting and staph infections in babies (2).
When injected into rats it has caused hemorrhage, cardiovascular failure and death (4).
Banned from tampons in 1985 because of its link to Toxic Shock Syndrome (1).
Has killed children after ingesting as little as 5 grams of it (5).
Causes female organ problems, slows healing wounds, fatigue and weight loss to the employees in factories that manufacture it (6).
DIOXIN - This is the chemical by-product of the paper-bleaching process, using chlorine gas, in the manufacturing of diapers.
Properties:
It is a carcinogenic - cancer-causing chemical (3).
The EPA lists it as the MOST TOXIC of all cancer-linked chemicals(7).
In small quantities it causes birth defects, skin/liver disease, immune system suppression & genetic damage in lab animals (2),(5).
Banned in most countries, but not the United States (6).
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH CHLORINE?
"The pulp and paper industry's practice of bleaching pulp whiter than white with chlorine produces a large class of chemicals known as organochlorines, some extremely persistent and toxic, which include the infamous dioxins and furans."
". . . their effects are particularly threatening to the most vulnerable of us all: developing infants and children."
Source: Liz Armstrong & Adrienne Scott: "Whitewash; Exposing the health and environmental dangers of women's sanitary products and disposable diapers - what you can do about it."
TRIBUTYL TIN (TBT) - An environmental pollutant, considered highly toxic, that spreads through the skin and has a hormone-like effect in the smallest concentrations.
Properties:
It harms the immune system and impairs the hormonal system (6, 3).
Speculated that it could cause sterility in boys (6).
TO DYE FOR?
"Damage to CNS (Central Nervous System), kidneys and liver can be caused by dyes found in some disposables."
Source: "Diapers. Disposable or Cotton?," Ginny Caldwell.
SOURCES
(1). McConnell, Jane. "The Joy of Cloth Diapers." (2). Caldwell, Ginny. "Diapers. Disposable or Cotton?," Eco-Baby Catalogue (www.ecobaby.com). (3). "New Tests Confirm TBT Poison in Procter & Gamble's Pampers®: Greenpeace Demands World-Wide Ban of Organotins in All Products," 15 May 2000, ( www.diapersafari.com). (4). Allison, Cathy. "Disposable Diapers: Potential Health Hazards.," referring to: Hicks, R et al. "Characterization of toxicity involving hemorrhage and cardiovascular failure, caused by parenteral administration of a soluble polyacrylate in the rat," J Appl. Toxicol. 1989 June; 9(3): 191-8. (5). Peggy's Diapers, Slings N' Things, (www.peggysdiapers.com). (6). "Why Cloth Diapers?," (www.diapersafari.com). (7). "The Poop on Diapers.," (www.slonet.org/~scoward/poop.html).
HEALTH HAZARDS OF HUMAN WASTE IN LANDFILLS:
Cloth diapers have a defined ecological advantage over disposables. What is that? When using cloth diapers, the human waste gets sent to the municipal sanitary waste system, where it is treated. However, the EPA notes that " . . . a significant portion of the disposable diaper waste dumped in American's landfills every year is actually biodegradable human waste preserved forever (16)." That is just disgusting. The Egyptians buried their treasures and what do we bury? Our treasures? What will future, more advanced (we hope) societies think when they uncover our landfills?
Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and The American Public Health Association advise parents that fecal matter and urine should not be allowed to be disposed of together in the regular trash, because it contaminates the ground water and spreads disease (11). These are associations that are not linked to any particular side in this issue. And yet, what is their unbiased response??
"Disposable diaper packages contain a request printed on the outside of the package that the inner diapers be rinsed and the fecal material flushed down the toilet before the diapers are put out for curbside collection (14)."
Now, stop laughing! Have you ever seen ANYONE RINSE OUT a disposable, much less dump out the feces into the toilet? I sure didn't when I used them for my first child. I wrapped them up into a little feces/urine bomb and threw them in the nearest trash (preferably as far away from my house as possible). Or better yet, twisted them up and sealed them into a Diaper-Genie® to keep the smell out of the nursery. Then, on trash day, my ever-faithful husband held his nose while he pulled the long string of sausage rolled disposable diapers out of the Diaper-Genie® and tossed them into yet another plastic bag to carry to the curb. Now that I think of it, that made 4 different layers of plastic (2 in the diaper, one in the Diaper-Genie® and the final trash bag). What a waste.
Thing is, the World Health Organization guidelines are being violated whenever human waste goes into the landfills. So, technically putting diapers into the trash without cleansing them is ILLEGAL. Right around July of 1998 there was a ruling against grass going into the landfills with the rest of our household waste. I remember how I found out - our family's trash bags of cuttings were left at the curb when everything else had been picked up. There were holes torn into them (to identify them, I'm guessing) and it made me angry. Can you imagine if trash collectors started doing this with the collection of disposable diapers? You think the dogs in your neighborhood are bad now!
In her book, THE JOY OF CLOTH DIAPERS, Jane McConnell reported that our landfills contain 5 million tons of untreated human waste - a breeding ground for diseases that could potentially contaminate our groundwater (4). When you toss a disposable into the dumpster you are adding to the 84 million lbs. of raw fecal matter going to the environment per year (8). The Lehrburger report mentioned above also suggested that disposable diapers may represent a health risk at landfill sites and recommends that state health officials determine if diapers should be classified as infectious waste because of the untreated feces and urine they contain (13). There are an estimated 100 intestinal viruses living on the feces in landfills and these viruses are also possible contaminates of our water supplies and could latch on to the insects that would bring these diseases back to us (17). You only thought you threw it away! It is just as Arnold said, "I'll Be Back!"
SOURCES : 2. Caldwell, Ginny, "Diapers. Disposable or Cotton?", Eco-Baby Catalogue (http://www.ecobaby.com/).
"Disposables will hold about 7 lbs. of fluid, but how long do you want your child in a used diaper? A dirty diaper is a dirty diaper, and should be changed to prevent bacterial infections.
Source: "The Facts: Cloth Versus Disposable Diapers" by The Canadian Cloth Diaper Association.
Procter and Gamble reports an average of 5.4 diaper changes are to be made per day (wearing their diaper). Fearer notes, however, that "a number of researchers and pediatricians say responsible sanitary care dictates changes every 2 hours."
Even infertility rates in males may be linked to disposable diapers. So, they are dry, but are they cool? It is thought that disposables may heat-up a boys testicles to the point that it stops them from developing normally. "Diapers lined with plastic raise the temperature of the scrotum far above body temperature and can lead to a total breakdown of normal cooling mechanisms, according to the study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood (6)."
So, WHO CARES if it is super-absorbent?! Why pay for super-absorbency? You SHOULD NOT NEED SUPER-ABSORBENT DIAPERS, but instead, recognize that your child needs to be kept in CLEAN diapers! This not only keeps them DRY, but also RASH FREE. If you wet your pants, would you sit in them or change them? Why should we treat our children less than we would treat ourselves? Can we justify it away because diapers are not the same as underwear? Why not? Any woman that has worn a disposable maxi pad for any amount of time has a small taste of what it would feel like to wear a diaper. Again, things that make you go hmmmmmmm. The Golden Rule could most definitely apply here.
The cloth diapers (nappies) of today, I found, are incredible - plush, absorbent without chemicals, and varied. Even the simple pull-on covers have gravitated away from plastic toward nylon (breathable, but leak-free) to allow heat to escape, the baby's skin to breathe, but momma's lap to stay dry and longer durability. The options are endless - more even than the disposable market offers.
You would think that all the above information would be enough for a final decision, but it really didn't seal the issue for me. I'm thinking, "Okay, but STILL disposables are more convenient (We are often willing to PAY for convenience, right?) and I can always change them more often to avoid rashes." Well, the health issues are absolutely threatening for our children - and this is where my resistance to cloth diapering gave in.
Let's talk about our children's health and the mounting evidence about the synthetic chemicals and their by-products that can be found in disposable diapers. Below are some defining characteristics of the chemicals known for their acute and chronic effects that we put against our baby's skin. And I say known, because so many of our man-made chemicals and their by-products HAVE NOT been studied - and we are all aware that what we don't know CAN hurt us/our children. Whether or not some of the information is speculative should not allow us to dismiss the possibilities. My children are NOT guinea pigs for the next generation. I'll lean to the conservative side!
SODIUM POLYACRYLATE - This is the chemical, added in powder form to the inner pad of a disposable, that makes it super-absorbent. When the powdered form becomes wet, it turns into a gel. THESE ARE THE SHINY GEL-LIKE CRYSTALS I FOUND ON MY DAUGHTER'S PRIVATES WHEN CHANGING HER.
Properties:
It can absorb up to 100X its weight in water (1).
It can stick to baby's genitals, causing allergic reactions (2).
Reported to cause severe skin irritations, oozing blood from perineum and scrotal tissues, fever, vomiting and staph infections in babies (2).
When injected into rats it has caused hemorrhage, cardiovascular failure and death (4).
Banned from tampons in 1985 because of its link to Toxic Shock Syndrome (1).
Has killed children after ingesting as little as 5 grams of it (5).
Causes female organ problems, slows healing wounds, fatigue and weight loss to the employees in factories that manufacture it (6).
DIOXIN - This is the chemical by-product of the paper-bleaching process, using chlorine gas, in the manufacturing of diapers.
Properties:
It is a carcinogenic - cancer-causing chemical (3).
The EPA lists it as the MOST TOXIC of all cancer-linked chemicals(7).
In small quantities it causes birth defects, skin/liver disease, immune system suppression & genetic damage in lab animals (2),(5).
Banned in most countries, but not the United States (6).
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH CHLORINE?
"The pulp and paper industry's practice of bleaching pulp whiter than white with chlorine produces a large class of chemicals known as organochlorines, some extremely persistent and toxic, which include the infamous dioxins and furans."
". . . their effects are particularly threatening to the most vulnerable of us all: developing infants and children."
Source: Liz Armstrong & Adrienne Scott: "Whitewash; Exposing the health and environmental dangers of women's sanitary products and disposable diapers - what you can do about it."
TRIBUTYL TIN (TBT) - An environmental pollutant, considered highly toxic, that spreads through the skin and has a hormone-like effect in the smallest concentrations.
Properties:
It harms the immune system and impairs the hormonal system (6, 3).
Speculated that it could cause sterility in boys (6).
TO DYE FOR?
"Damage to CNS (Central Nervous System), kidneys and liver can be caused by dyes found in some disposables."
Source: "Diapers. Disposable or Cotton?," Ginny Caldwell.
SOURCES
(1). McConnell, Jane. "The Joy of Cloth Diapers." (2). Caldwell, Ginny. "Diapers. Disposable or Cotton?," Eco-Baby Catalogue (www.ecobaby.com). (3). "New Tests Confirm TBT Poison in Procter & Gamble's Pampers®: Greenpeace Demands World-Wide Ban of Organotins in All Products," 15 May 2000, ( www.diapersafari.com). (4). Allison, Cathy. "Disposable Diapers: Potential Health Hazards.," referring to: Hicks, R et al. "Characterization of toxicity involving hemorrhage and cardiovascular failure, caused by parenteral administration of a soluble polyacrylate in the rat," J Appl. Toxicol. 1989 June; 9(3): 191-8. (5). Peggy's Diapers, Slings N' Things, (www.peggysdiapers.com). (6). "Why Cloth Diapers?," (www.diapersafari.com). (7). "The Poop on Diapers.," (www.slonet.org/~scoward/poop.html).
HEALTH HAZARDS OF HUMAN WASTE IN LANDFILLS:
Cloth diapers have a defined ecological advantage over disposables. What is that? When using cloth diapers, the human waste gets sent to the municipal sanitary waste system, where it is treated. However, the EPA notes that " . . . a significant portion of the disposable diaper waste dumped in American's landfills every year is actually biodegradable human waste preserved forever (16)." That is just disgusting. The Egyptians buried their treasures and what do we bury? Our treasures? What will future, more advanced (we hope) societies think when they uncover our landfills?
Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and The American Public Health Association advise parents that fecal matter and urine should not be allowed to be disposed of together in the regular trash, because it contaminates the ground water and spreads disease (11). These are associations that are not linked to any particular side in this issue. And yet, what is their unbiased response??
"Disposable diaper packages contain a request printed on the outside of the package that the inner diapers be rinsed and the fecal material flushed down the toilet before the diapers are put out for curbside collection (14)."
Now, stop laughing! Have you ever seen ANYONE RINSE OUT a disposable, much less dump out the feces into the toilet? I sure didn't when I used them for my first child. I wrapped them up into a little feces/urine bomb and threw them in the nearest trash (preferably as far away from my house as possible). Or better yet, twisted them up and sealed them into a Diaper-Genie® to keep the smell out of the nursery. Then, on trash day, my ever-faithful husband held his nose while he pulled the long string of sausage rolled disposable diapers out of the Diaper-Genie® and tossed them into yet another plastic bag to carry to the curb. Now that I think of it, that made 4 different layers of plastic (2 in the diaper, one in the Diaper-Genie® and the final trash bag). What a waste.
Thing is, the World Health Organization guidelines are being violated whenever human waste goes into the landfills. So, technically putting diapers into the trash without cleansing them is ILLEGAL. Right around July of 1998 there was a ruling against grass going into the landfills with the rest of our household waste. I remember how I found out - our family's trash bags of cuttings were left at the curb when everything else had been picked up. There were holes torn into them (to identify them, I'm guessing) and it made me angry. Can you imagine if trash collectors started doing this with the collection of disposable diapers? You think the dogs in your neighborhood are bad now!
In her book, THE JOY OF CLOTH DIAPERS, Jane McConnell reported that our landfills contain 5 million tons of untreated human waste - a breeding ground for diseases that could potentially contaminate our groundwater (4). When you toss a disposable into the dumpster you are adding to the 84 million lbs. of raw fecal matter going to the environment per year (8). The Lehrburger report mentioned above also suggested that disposable diapers may represent a health risk at landfill sites and recommends that state health officials determine if diapers should be classified as infectious waste because of the untreated feces and urine they contain (13). There are an estimated 100 intestinal viruses living on the feces in landfills and these viruses are also possible contaminates of our water supplies and could latch on to the insects that would bring these diseases back to us (17). You only thought you threw it away! It is just as Arnold said, "I'll Be Back!"
SOURCES : 2. Caldwell, Ginny, "Diapers. Disposable or Cotton?", Eco-Baby Catalogue (http://www.ecobaby.com/).
4. Allison, Cathy, "Disposable Diapers: Potential Health Hazards?"
8. McDiarmid, Catherine, "What's Wrong with Disposable Single-Use Diapers?,"Born to Love (http://www.borntolove.com/).
9. Flug, Rachael, "Top Ten Environmental Reasons For Choosing Cotton Diapers.,"Diaperraps (http://www.ebabydiaper.com/).
10. The Canadian Cloth Diaper Association, "The Facts: Cloth Versus Disposable Diapers."
11. Fearer, Mark, "Diaper Debate - Not Over Yet."
13. Iowa Sate University - University Extension, "The Diaper Dilemma."
14. Schiff, Sherry, "The Diaper Dilemma, Waterloo Centre For Groundwater Research.
15. McConnell, Jane, "The Diaper Debate: Ten Years Later.," (referenced at www.dy-dee.com). 16. Reilly, Lee, "The diaper debate: cloth vs. paper, . . . "(Answering Machine)., Vegetarian Times, March, 1997.
18. Swasy, Alecia, SOAP OPERA; The Inside Story of Procter & Gamble.
® Copywrited material - Heather L. Sanders.
® Copywrited material - Heather L. Sanders.
Comments
Laura
(I don't have children.) My mom and aunt used cloth on us when we were little, and like you said, they were never overwhelmed, and our house did not stink, and we kids grew up just fine.
It's time for people to make changes that will reduce waste. Thank you for making this post!
~Jen M.