Know your Disposables : Episode 2

Dissecting the Diaper: Each Layer has a story And a CHEMICAL!

A disposable diaper has basically three layers. Each of them has a story—and a chemical.

1. The Top Layer (Stay-Dry Layer):

This sits against your baby’s skin and is usually made of polypropylene or polyethylene. This layer pulls the moisture away from baby’s bum as and when the baby pees, thereby keeping the baby’s bum dry.  However, the moisture pulled out is not just the pee & poop but also the moisture from the baby’s skin. They also trap extra heat making baby’s bum excessively dry. Then comes in the need of diaper cream , rash cream and what not.

A 2000 UK study suggests that scrotum temperature for baby boys is much higher with disposable nappies than cloth nappies. That is to increase your baby’s bum by almost 2-3 degree celsius, which is a small difference to read but a HUGE difference to FEEL. A follow up study in 2001 suggests that infant boys who wear disposable diapers could experience impaired fertility as adults.

2. The Acquisition and Distribution Layer

This layer holds the fluff pulp temporarily before transferring liquids to the absorbent core.

3. The Core (SAP)

Core layer is a Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP) like Sodium Polyacrylate. The development of SAP as core material has magically reduced the weight of the disposable diapers as it can absorb about 1000 times it weight. SAP is the gel like substance that you would have seen sometimes on baby’s bum. Research on impact of absorption of this gel by baby’s skin is not available. However, a heavily chemically processed component so close to baby’s bum does make some parents worry.

The Bleaching Concern:

Of further higher concern is the heavy bleaching involved in diapers to ensure the diapers last extra-long hours. A common bleaching agent used generally is Chlorine, which releases Dioxin in the process and is an identified CARCINOGEN by EPA. Sadly, dioxin is present in even clothes that are bleached using Chlorine. Dioxin is released both in environment and to babies bum. Through environment it has reached our food chain and even mother’s breast milk!

Today, there are many disposable diapers companies which claim to not use elemental chlorine which was the culprit for production of dioxin. They have started using Dichlorides (ECF-Elemental Chlorine Free) which has significantly reduced the dioxin released but it has not been eliminated. Unfortunately, there are very few brands (not in India) , like HealthyBaby, EcoPea Co. ,which have totally eliminated chlorine usage in bleaching that is TCF – Total Chlorine Free Diapers. However, they are very costly! As of today there isn’t enough research on the impact of total chlorine free diapers.

Additionally, during production, exposure to Polyacrylate dust can lead to respiratory issues for workers. Also, traces of acrylic acid left on diapers due to incomplete polymerization can cause skin diseases. Since SAP is a derivative of Petroleum, there are always risks of allergies and rashes because of prolonged exposure to these synthetic materials. Production of disposables itself is energy intensive and releases a lot of toxic chemicals like ethylene dichloride, known for its toxicity in the environment.

Fact Files: Did you know? 

250,745 metric tonne of Petroleum and 290 million kgs of Wood (~4 lakh trees) is used every year for making disposable diapers. 

(This stat is derived from these sources,with the assumption that 7 diapers are used daily by a baby.)

Another chemical of concern is Phthalates – used as a plasticizer and catalysts for polymerization of the polymers used in disposables that is  SAP, Polypropylene and Polyethylene. They provide flexibility to the diapers. Chemically , they are non-covalently (read loosely) bonded to these polymers and are easily released on the baby and in the environment. Dermal (Skin ) absorption of these chemicals by babies is a serious concern as Pthalates are recognized Endocrine disruptors. They can lead to hormonal dis-imbalances leading to all sorts of reproductive problems. On a worrisome note, the rise of infertility in the reproductive age is a rising concern today. As per various studies, Infertility rate has increased from 22.4% in 1992-93 to 30.7% in 2015-16 in India.

Jargon explainer: Endocrine System 

It relates to the system responsible for producing and regulating hormones.

4. Outer Layer

The outermost layer is again a plastic layer made up of Polypropylene and polyethylene for leakage protection. The outer of most disposable diapers are dyed and has fragrances to mask the smell of poop and wetness indicators. All these functionalities come at a heavy loading of chemical exposure to the babies especially newborns. Exposure to chemicals in plastics in general is now being seen as a leading cause of Infertility in current generation.

The Environmental Cost – the One that does not show on the diaper packs

Once disposed, SAP and other chemicals used in disposables, being non-biodegradable, sits in the landfill for more than 500+ years releasing toxic chemicals in soil and water , which thereby enters our food chain. Combined with lack of awareness about disposing diapers and poor waste management system, used disposable diapers are found everywhere from a restaurant to the hill top to the temple premises. See Pictures here.

Though the feces from disposables are also meant to be discarded before throwing in the bin, invariably disposables find its way to the garbage bin with the feces. Thereby, even these leach into the soil and drinking water. These issues also get aggravated from the lack of regulation and transparency around the ingredients used in Disposable Diapers.

Up Next: Regulations (or the lack thereof) that govern what goes into your baby’s diaper.

Deciding to explore Cloth Diapers ? – Here is a new parent’s guide on cloth diapers to ease the transition to Cloth. Take baby steps. Switch one diaper at a time. For any queries and doubts reach us out here or here!