There are seemingly hundreds of diapering options available to parents these days. Disposable diapers are the obvious choice for many parents. However, the benefits of convenience have a tradeoff in terms of effects on the environment and health.
Elements
Disposable diapers have an outer shell and an inner tissue. They are bound together by hot melts. Once the diaper is on the baby, elastics attach the front side of the diaper to the back. The leg opening is usually elastic to accommodate all sizes of thighs.
Ingredients
Hydrogels, or polymers, make disposable diapers extremely absorbent. According to a July 2004 "New York Times" article, hydrogrels can absorb up to 100 times their weight. The primary ingredients in hydrogels are acrylic acid and acrylamide, also called sodium polyacrylate. While acrylic acid is nontoxic, acrylamide causes cancer in animals and may cause nerve damage in humans, according to the World Health Organization, or WHO.
Most commercial brands of diapers are bleached, and dioxins are a toxic byproduct of this process. According to the WHO, dioxins "can cause reproductive and developmental probems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer."
Most commercial brands of diapers list synthetic perfumes and dyes as ingredients.
Research
A September 1999 "Archives of Environmental Health" study reports a link the use of disposable diapers and asthma. An October 2000 "Archives of Disease in Childhood" study notes that disposable diapers raise the scrotal temperature of boys and may potentially negatively impact their reproductive health.
Alternatives
Cloth diapers are a non-toxic alternative to disposable diapers. No longer a complicated mess of pins and ill-fitting plastic covers, the cloth diapers of today actually resemble disposable diapers in terms of both fit and convenience. Parents must decide whether they want to take the time for another load of laundry, however.
Warning
Even some disposable diaper brands that bill themselves as "environmentally friendly" still contain toxic substances. A quick glance at the label of a popular brand of eco-friendly diapers shows that while they do not bleach their diapers, they use the same sodium polyacrylate gels the WHO deems unsafe.
References
- The New York Times: Now Diaper Technology Takes on a Desert
- World Health Organization: Acrylamide
- World Health Organization: Dioxins and Their Effects on Human Health
- Disposable Diaper: The Diaper Industry Source
- "Archives of Environmental Health;" Acute Repiratory Effects of Diaper Emissions; R.C. Anderson, J.H. Anderson; Sep 1999
