The core is made of totally chlorine-free wood fluff from sustainable forests and traditional SAP. Many of the materials used are synthetic, and do not biodegrade. Many parents have a romantic idea of diapering their new baby in organic cloth diapers. It sounds ideal, right? There's no waste, no risk of exposure to chemicals and other nasties, and it's just so perfect.
The reality is that not everyone has the time, or even wants to deal with cleaning poopy cloth diapers. And even better yet: there are a bunch of brands that offer non-toxic, safer disposable diapers that are better for our environment, contain less yucky chemicals, are typically fragrance-free and are slightly more biodegradable than brands like Huggies and Pampers. Unfortunately, typical baby diaper brands like Huggies use a lot of potentially harmful chemicals in both the manufacturing and finished product.
This not only makes them potentially harmful to your little one, but can also be bad for the environment. Dioxins are a group of highly-toxic chemical compounds that have negative effects on our environment and our bodies. Greenwashing warning: Don't trust a company that says their diaper is "chlorine-free.
If they were totally chlorine free, they'd be shouting it from the rooftops. Those are sodium polyacrylate SAP crystals which are used to make the diaper absorbent. These little crystals can hold up to times their weight in water, so it's obvious why they're used. SAP has been linked to skin irritation, respiratory issues and was linked to toxic shock syndrome via tampon use in the s. However, this was more likely due to women leaving the tampons in too long. There are no disposable diapers that don't use SAP.
At this point, there are simply no alternatives that can absorb as much liquid as SAP. Fragrances - While these give a somewhat pleasant touch to the experience of changing a poopy diaper, if being non-toxic is the goal, fragrances are a no-go. The term fragrance when used in products is an umbrella term, and there are currently chemical ingredients that can be used in fragrances. And what's worse is that manufacturers can just list "fragrance" and not the individual ingredients that go into the fragrance.
Some of these ingredients have been linked to health effects like cancer, allergies, reproductive issues and more. Dyes - While dyes are not as big of a deal, a study showed that for babies with skin rashes, switching to dye-free diapers eliminated these rashes.
Dyes are typically used on the outside of the diaper for the fancy little pattern, around the leg cuffs, the elastic, and the wetness indicator. Lotions - Much like fragrance, the problem with lotions in diapers is that you have no idea whats in them. They can use a variety of chemical ingredients and not disclose them on the label.
Best to avoid any diapers that use lotion. Along with dyes, lotions are also sometimes the cause of allergic reactions and rashes. Phthalates - These are a class of chemicals used to soften plastic and make it more durable.
Modern diapers are typically made from plastic resins, which give it the leak-free capability. While the risk of phtalates is still uncertain, it's true that physical exposure can lead to possible side-effects. Some phtalates can adversely affect the reproductive system and development. Tributyltin TBT - This chemical is extremely toxic to aquatic life.
The TCF in diapers comes from the wood pulp fluff in the core. TBT is used as an anti-fungal agent in wood pulp mills, and in some diapers you'll find TBT contamination. The effects of TBT on humans are not known right now, but since it's so toxic to our rivers and oceans, it's best to support brands that don't have it in their diaper.
Diapers are made from three layers, and each of these layers is important in judging if a diaper is eco-friendly, non-toxic and safe. Top sheet inner layer - This part is the inner part of the diaper, making close contact with your baby's skin.
It's super important that this layer be made of a non-toxic and safe material. Many traditional diapers will have this layer made of synthetic plastics, which is a no-go.
Back sheet outer layer - A waterproof outer layer typically made from petroleum-based plastics. The best eco-friendly and non-toxic diapers use a backsheet made from bamboo. Core - This layer is typically made from two materials. First is a fluff component, which is typically made from wood pulp. All disposable diapers use this crystals and some websites incorrectly state that some diapers don't. While some brands state that they use a minimal amount of SAP, this is the component that absorbs the pee, and there are no good alternatives yet.
The environmental impact of disposable diapers is a big concern for many, and for good reason. Since the average baby will go through about diapers per year, that adds up to a lot of diapers in the landfill. Disposable diapers use a lot more natural resources to produce than cloth diapers.
We've seen figures that state we use 3. Unfortunately, while a lot of diaper brands claim their products are biodegradable, that's not really all that true. Landfills are designed in a way that makes biodegradation almost impossible. The landfill is typically lined with clay or other methods of keeping any of the toxic items that are thrown into the landfill.
Then, as trash is added, layers of dirt are added. Since there is very little oxygen or moisture, which are the key components of biodegradation, it's an environment where very little will occur. The biggest brands, Huggies and Pampers, are often considered the most guilty on this score, but they are far from the only manufacturers who limit their disclosure of materials.
Some of this lack of disclosure is allowable by our government, such as Fragrance ingredients, which can be considered a proprietary trade secret and exempt from detailed disclosure. As reported in the Huffington Post and elsewhere, "…due to the 'trade secret' status of fragrances, manufacturers are still not required by the FDA to disclose their ingredients on the label or in any other way. For this reason, and others see below on Perfumes , we urge parents to buy Fragrance-free diapers only.
The secret sauce inside disposable diapers since the mids has been SAP. These tiny crystals are sprinkled inside the layers of the absorbent core of a diaper to absorb and trap fluid i. These crystals go by several names including hydrogel, sodium polyacrylate, polyacrylate absorbents, or in Pamper's FAQ as Absorbent Gel Material AGM and can absorb a significant amount of liquid given their smaller size. And we mean all. In our research, we were not able to find credible, evidence-based studies which prove that SAP is either toxic or dangerous to humans.
To the contrary, we have found some presumably tree-hugging green diaper companies who have concluded that the SAP they use is safe and non-toxic including but not limited to:. On the whole, we're left to conclude, somewhat anxiously , that the body of evidence or lack thereof suggests that SAP appears to be safe.
Perhaps as a testament to the apparent safety of SAP, our founder, Dr. Though Dr. Spurrier notes, emphatically, that if she knew then what she knows now about disposable diapers, she would have chosen cloth diapering for daytime use, and used a green disposable for overnight. However, most experts feel the SAP itself was not the cause. The use of SAP allowed the Rely tampon to absorb an entire menstrual flow, encouraging women to use the product for a prolonged period without replacement.
By , the popular Rely tampon was linked to an uptick in Toxic Shock Syndrome incidents and was recalled. As a result, the use of SAP in tampons was discontinued. Several companies have stated an intention to manufacture plant-based biodegradable SAP. Similar to the processes used for creating biodegradable trash bags, a combination of cellulose from wood or wheat, and starch from corn, potato, yams or other starch-rich plants, can be used to make a plant-based SAP which has similar absorbency to its petroleum-based cousin, but with improved biodegradability.
To our knowledge, plant-based SAP is not currently being used by any diaper manufacturer that we are aware of, but we are optimistic that it will be in the near future. Because these materials are relatively new, they have not undergone any significant testing. However, the use of natural and sustainable materials and increased biodegradability are a virtuous combination.
In disposable diapers, chlorine is used as a bleach to whiten diaper material. The problem with chlorine is that it emits small traces of known toxic chemicals called dioxins during the bleaching process. The desire to keep baby from being exposed to dioxins is the primary motivation for using chlorine-free diapers.
This type of chlorine is not the same chlorine you find in your laundry room, but a gas form of the chemical with a different chemical makeup. Based on animal studies, dioxins have the potential to "cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer.
While dioxins are only found in trace quantities in chlorine-bleached diapers, we prefer "none" to "trace" when it comes to babies, particularly newborns because their skin is so thin. That's why we advocate going with a chlorine-free diaper. Also, upon further investigation , we aren't sure that this conviction is as useful as we once thought as dioxins are present everywhere.
And while the goal would be to eliminate or limit your baby's exposure to dioxins, studies indicate it is hard to get away from dioxins with the largest culprit being the food we eat. In fact, while trace amounts of dioxins are found in disposable diapers, the study we read indicated dioxins were also present on cloth diapers making it virtually impossible to find or choose a dioxin-free diaper option. This information makes it more difficult than we originally thought to find a truly dioxin free option no matter what the production method is.
However, before you assume it doesn't matter, the bleaching process of diapers does create dioxins that end up in the environment and eventually find their way into our food supply chain. These dioxins accumulate in our bodies and can be passed to a baby through breastmilk. So, while it may be less important what is in the diaper, it still matters what ends up in the environment. So going chlorine free means you are doing good things for the environment, and in the long run, this translates to good things for all the babies.
Happily, going chlorine-free does not need to pinch your pocketbook. Perfume fragrances are sometimes used in disposable diapers, presumably to mask poop's distinctive stench. However, an infant's rapidly evolving organ systems are both immature and exquisitely sensitive to chemical insults.
The scents found in many diapers are strong and chemical-laden, harboring unnecessary irritants with the potential to cause health issues like diaper rash and respiratory symptoms. Equally concerning, manufacturers are not required to disclose the chemicals used in fragrances as the FDA allows them to consider their fragrances "trade secrets. Our recommendation is simple: choose a perfume-free diaper.
You don't need it, so it's not worth the risk. And, like avoiding chlorine in diapers, avoiding perfume in diapers is easy and painless. A lot of great diapers are perfume-free, and let's be honest, the fragrance doesn't mask or improve the smell of a dirty diaper. If a diaper is stinky, you should change it, not mask it. Dyes in diapers can be found in the colored patterns on the outside of the diaper, in the leg cuff and back elastic, and in the wetness indicator.
These dyes can cause skin rash, as they may cause allergic reactions in some babies where the dye touches baby's skin. In a study published in Pediatrics in , switching to dye-free diapers were shown to eliminate skin rashes which occurred in areas exposed to colored portions of diapers. Other diaper companies, like BAMBO and Honest Diapers, use dye pigments that do not contain heavy metals, which they believe are safe and hypoallergenic. To make things even more confusing or difficult to understand or compare from one diaper to another is the terminology that each manufacturer uses.
We would like to include information on dyes in our review for choosing diapers, however, we are finding it very difficult to do so. With words like dye, disperse dye, pigments, colorants, and inks floating around depending on which diaper you are reviewing it became difficult to understand.
These toxins can cause mutations and sterility in wildlife, and could even contribute to the extinction of certain species. These harmful toxins can also leach into soil, potentially contaminating food sources for animals and humans. The air is also impacted, as factories that use chlorine bleach emit toxins into the atmosphere, which can result in ozone depletion, and respiratory irritation in those exposed to the air. The potential side effects of using chlorine in the production of diapers, and other household products, has caused many countries to ban chlorine bleach processing, or restrict its use.
This makes a lot of sense, especially in relation to diapers, as babies typically use 2, to 3, diapers in their first year. That can lead to significant exposure that can easily be avoided. TCF stands for "totally chlorine free" and means that your diapers are processed without chlorine. For example, Eco Pea diapers are steam processed and purified instead of chlorine bleaching, which may be a little more effort, but allows us to avoid the above mentioned negative effects of using chlorine.
Fortunately, after understanding the possible negative effects of chlorine in diapers, there are some great chlorine free diaper options available now. When researching brands, you'll want to look for brands that state "TCF" or "steam processed". Other things to look for are brands that use oxygen, ozone, or peroxide to purify the pulp instead.
In addition to being free of the toxins that come with chlorine use, TCF diapers may be biodegradable and antibacterial, like our bamboo diapers.
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