Diapers: Health, Environment & Cost

DIAPER FACTS

Why choose cloth diapers? There are so many reasons. Cloth diapers are soft against your baby’s skin. Cloth diapers are also free of the many chemicals contained in disposable diapers. Our common sense tells us that cloth diapers are the ultimate in recycling because they are used again and again, not entering a landfill until they are nothing but rags. Of course, some people want more than this common sense approach--they want facts. Here are a few well-documented facts to help inform your choice. We will add more information as we gather it. Stay tuned.

Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process.  It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. Dioxin can cause liver disease, immune system suppression and genetic damage. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S..¹

Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.² In May 2000 Greenpeace found TBT in Pampers® Baby Dry in Germany. TBT is one of the most toxic substances ever made. It harms the immune system and impairs the hormonal system. There is speculation that it could cause boys to become sterile.

Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. A similar substance had been used in super-absorbancy tampons until the early 1980s when it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome.³ You can find the little "gel balls or crystals" on the skin of your baby’s diaper area. It is interesting to note that employees in factories manufacturing sodium polyacrylate suffer from female organ problems, slow healing wounds, fatigue and weight loss.

ASTHMA In 1998 a study showed that childhood respiratory problems, including asthma, might be linked to inhaling the mixture of chemicals emitted from disposable diapers.

MALE INFERTILITY In May 2000, the Archives of Disease in Childhood published research showing that scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal spermatogenesis.¹⁸ Disposable diapers could be the cause of the sharp rise in male infertility over the past 25 years. It is thought that disposable diapers heat up boys’ testicles to such a degree that it stops them from developing normal.

UTI INFECTIONS IN BABY GIRLS also seem on the rise with an increased use of disposable diapers.

In 1988, over 18 billion diapers were sold and consumed in the United States that year.⁴ Based on calculations (listed below under "Cost: National Costs"), it is estimated that 27.4 billion disposable diapers are consumed every year in the U.S.¹³

Disposal of human waste in residential garbage is technically prohibited and instructions on a disposable diaper package advice that all fecal matter should be deposited in the toilet before discarding, yet less than one half of one percent of all waste from single-use diapers goes into the sewage system.⁴

Every child adds about 6,500 disposable diapers to our landfills. That’s about 2 tons of landfill waste using disposable diapers for one child. Today there is serious threat of contamination from disposable diapers because of human sewage going into landfills. Viruses found in feces can pose a threat to our water supplies and wildlife. Over 92% of all single-use diapers end up in a landfill.⁴

In 1988, nearly $300 million dollars were spent annually just to discard disposable diapers, whereas cotton diapers are reused 50 to 200 times before being turned into rags.⁴

No one knows how long it takes for a disposable diaper to decompose, but it is estimated to be about 250-500 years, long after your children, grandchildren and great, great, great grandchildren will be gone.⁵

Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills, and represent about 4% of solid waste. In a house with a child in diapers, disposables make up 50% of household waste.⁵

Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials, like crude oil and wood pulp.³ Each baby in disposable diapers consumes 4.5 trees (Based on only 2 years in diapers.)

Harsh bleaches and cleaning agents used at diaper services can cause damage to the environment.

The manufacture and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more water wasted than cloth.³

Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feed stocks and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR.⁶

In 1991, an attempt towards recycling disposable diapers was made in the city of Seattle, involving 800 families, 30 day care centers, a hospital and a Seattle-based recycler for a period of one year. The conclusion made by Procter & Gamble was that recycling disposable diapers was not an economically feasible task on any scale and the long-term effects of them on the environment remain unknown.¹⁷

The most common reason for diaper rash is excessive moisture against the skin.¹⁹

Newborns should be changed every hour and older babies every 3-4 hours Regardless of what kind of diaper they are wearing.²⁰

At least half of all babies will exhibit rash at least once during their diapering years.²⁰

Diaper rash was almost unheard of before the use of rubber or plastic pants in the 1940s.²¹

There is no significant difference between cloth and disposables when it comes to diaper rash.²²

There are many reasons for rash, such as food allergies, yeast infections, skin sensitivity, chafing, and chemical irritation. Diaper rash can result from the introduction of new foods in older babies. Some foods raise the frequency of bowel movements, which also can irritate. Changes in a breastfeeding mother’s diet may alter the baby’s stool, causing rash.¹⁹

It is estimated that each baby will need about 6,000 diapers⁷ during the first two⁸ years of life. The following estimates are based on prices in San Francisco, California.

Disposables. For these calculations, let’s assume that a family needs about 60 diapers a week. In the San Francisco Bay area, disposable diapers cost roughly 23¢ per store-brand diaper and 28¢ for name brand. This averages to 25.5¢ per diaper. Thus the average child will cost about $1,600 to diaper for two years in disposable diapers, or about $66 a month⁹.

Diaper Services.  Subscribing to a diaper services costs between $13 and $17 each week depending on how many diapers a family decides to order. Let’s assume the family spends roughly $15 a week for 60 diapers a week. This equals $780 annually and averages to $65 a month. Over the course of two years, the family will spend about $1500 per baby, roughly the same cost as disposables, depending on what type of covers are purchased and what type of wipes are used. If one adds in the cost of disposable wipes for either diapering system, the costs increase. In addition the harsh bleaches and cleaning agents used at these facilities are harmful to the environment.

Cloth Diapers.  For cloth diapering, each family will probably need about 6 dozen diapers¹⁰. The cost of cloth 
diapering can vary considerably, from as low as $300 for a basic set-up of prefolds and covers¹¹, to $1000 or more for organic cotton fitted diapers and wool covers. Despite this large price range, it should be possible to buy a generous mix of prefolds and diaper covers for about $300, most of which will probably last for two children. This means the cost of cloth diapering is about one tenth the cost of disposables¹², and you can spend even less by using found objects (old towels & T-shirts). The diapers we provide are one size and fit most babies from birth through potty training (7-35lbs). These are more convenient than prefolds and are easily accepted by daycare providers and sitters. Even dads will use them. It cost’s about $450 for a supply of 24 diapers and cloth wipes that will supply you through at least two babies with the proper care.

National Costs.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were about 19 million children under four in 2000. We could probably assume that there are about 9.5 million children under two and therefore in diapers at any one time. Based on previous studies, we estimate that 5-10% of babies wear cloth diapers at least part time. We will average these figures to 7.5% of babies in cloth diapers and 92.5% in disposables. This means that about 8.8 million babies in the U.S. are using 27.4 billion disposable diapers every year¹³.

Based on these calculations, if we multiply the 8.8 million babies in disposable diapers by an average cost of $800 a year, we find that Americans spend about 7 billion dollars on disposable diapers every year.  If every one of those families switched to home-laundered cloth prefold diapers, they would save more than $6 billion¹⁴, enough to feed about 2.5 million American children for an entire year¹⁵.  Coincidentally, the 2002 U.S. Census reveals that 2.3 million children under 6 live in poverty¹⁶.

Sources

¹ Allsopp, Michelle.  Achieving Zero Dioxin: An emergency strategy for dioxin elimination.  September 1994.  Greenpeace.  http://archive.greenpeace.org/toxics/reports/azd/azd.html

² Greenpeace.  New Tests Confirm TBT Poison in Procter & Gamble’s Pampers: Greenpeace Demands World-Wide Ban of Organotins in All Products. 15 May 2000.
http://archive.greenpeace.org/pressreleases/toxics/2000may152.html

³ Armstrong, Liz and Adrienne Scott   Whitewash: Exposing the Health and Environmental Dangers of Women’s Sanitary Products and Disposable Diapers, What You Can Do About It. 1993. HarperCollins.

⁴ Lehrburger, Carl. 1988. Diapers in the Waste Stream: A review of waste management and public policy issues. 1988. Sheffield, MA: self-published.

⁵ Link, Ann.  Disposable nappies: a case study in waste prevention.  April 2003.  Women’s Environmental Network.

⁶ Lehrburger, C., J. Mullen and C.V. Jones. 1991.  Diapers: Environmental Impacts and Lifecycle Analysis.  Philadelphia, PA: Report to The National Association of Diaper Services (NADS). 

⁷ Average of 8 changes per day over 2 years (8x365x2=5,840)

⁸ We are using 2 as the average age of transition from diapers to toilet use.

⁹ 60x52x$0.255=$795.60, or $800.  $800x2years=$1,600.  $1,600÷24=$66 per month.

¹⁰ 3 dozen each in two sizes accommodates most babies

¹¹ 6 dozen prefolds at an average of $2.16 each and 16 covers at $8.50 each ((72x$2.16)+(12x$8.50)=$292)

¹² $300÷2 children = $150 per child.  Compare to $1,600 per child for disposables

¹³ 8.8 million x 60 x 52 = 27.4 billion

¹⁴ Cloth diapering is 90% cheaper.  90% of $7 billion is $6.3 billion.

¹⁵ Food costs calculated at $2,475 per child per year or $6.78 per child per day for 3 meals and 2 snacks.  Costs based on U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service, Child and Adult Care Food Program.  Figures current as of July 2003.  http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Care/CACFP/cacfpfaqs.htm

¹⁶ Percent of People in Poverty by Definition of Income and Selected Characteristics: 2002 (Revised).  http://www.census.gov/hhes/poverty/poverty02/r&dtable5.html

¹⁷Stone, Janis and Sternweis, Laura. Consumer Choice -- Diaper Dilemma. Iowa Sate University - University Extension. ID.# 1401. 1994.
http://www.rockwellcollins.com/daycare/pdf/pm1401.pdf

¹⁸C-J Partsch, M Aukamp, W G Sippell Scrotal temperature is increased in disposable plastic lined nappies. Division of Paediatric Endocrinology, Department of Paediatrics, Christian-Albrechts- University of Kiel, Schwanenweg 20, D-24105 Kiel, Germany. Arch Dis Child 2000;83:364-368.
Click here or go to http://adc.bmjjournals.com and search by the title of the study.

¹⁹ Boiko, S. 1997. Diapers and diaper rashes. February 1, 1997. Dermatology Nursing.

²⁰ Shin, H.T. 2005. Diaper dermatitis that does not quit. Dermatologic Therapy, 18: 124-135.

²¹ Weiner, F. 1979. The relationship of diapers to diaper rashes in the one-month-old infant. The Journal of Pediatrics, 95: 422-424.

²² Stein, H. 1982. Incidence of diaper rash when using cloth and disposable diapers The Journal of Pediatrics, 101: 721-723