Conventional, Disposable Diapers

The Case for Disposable Diapers - Page 2

March 11, 2008 at 11:26AM by Alexandra Zissu | comment

First up, conventional disposable diapers. These (Huggies, Pampers etc.) haven't ever been an option for me.

A widely quoted study (that we mention in the book) published in the Archives of Environmental Health and conducted by Anderson Laboratories in 1999 found mice exposed to VOC chemicals emitted by conventional disposables had asthma-like reactions. Baby lungs aren't quite as small as mice lungs but this resonated – loudly – with me. Their manufacture involves chlorine.

And they all have chemical gel cores that activate to "lock-in" moisture when a baby pees. (This is what most diaper commercials boast about.) When I was first researching diapers a few years back (my daughter is now 2), I came across something on the Children's Health Environmental Coalition's site (they've since renamed and are HealthyChild.org) saying this absorbent chemical – sodium polyacrylate (SAP) - could cause respiratory and skin irritations in occupational settings (i.e. much higher dose than with diaper use).

I couldn't help but wonder how safe that kind of chemical activity could possibly be in such close proximity to baby genitals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No thank you!