An article about the problems associated with the use of disposable nappies and alternatives for parents. The article also details in brief the composition of a disposable nappy.
The article is meant to be a brain storming session for those parents who have never had a chance to think about what they may be putting right next to their babies most vulnerable parts.
What happens to the disposable nappy once it leaves the outside of your home?
The white little packets that carry your bundle of joy’s little poos and pees are taken straight to the landfill site nearest to your place and there it is put into the landfill where it stays forever and ever and ever and ever…. Really I am not joking because no one knows for sure how long the disposable nappy takes to decompose! The minimum number of years has been said to be 20 years and the maximum 500 years. Which means you can picture your little darling all grown up and surrounded by yuk (part of which his own) because at the rate at which parents like you and me are throwing off these little packets soon the landfill site nearest to you and me will have to move closer and closer to our place as it gets bigger and bigger.
What is the disposable nappy made of? So what are these sweet smelling white packets that you and I think we can’t do without made of. Very few manufacturers part with that information very easily. There is no regulation or law on them to inform the public what it is that there nappy consists of. Here is some information that is available after a lot of research.
If we start with the outside of the nappy then first comes the top layer which is made of Polythylene film which is leakproof. It is basically a thin plastic film. Apparantly it takes a cup full of crude oil to make plastic for 1 disposable nappy!! so your little one is using up 5 to 6 cups of the earth’s valuable resources daily. Only to make plastic which may take forever to decompose? Are you sure that when he grows up to the age of 18 he wont demand an explanation for this blatant misuse of the earth’s valuable resources?
Next we have tissue or paper pulp which is made from paper and is used as padding for the superabsorbant powder that we shall look at a little later. In effect your baby is killing 1 tree every 6 months she uses disposable nappies. How many babies do you have or intend to have and how many months till they stop using nappies?
Some nappies have polypropylene on the top of the leg cuffs. This is another type of plastic. It is the type used in the dishwasher safe plastic containers. It is also leakproof.
Now let’s get to the main core of the nappy-which is the part that allows your little baby’s bottom to stay dry for so long. There is a little pad inside the nappy which is covered by paper and a hydrophilic sheet and which contains super absorbent. Hydrophilic means something that attracts water so that is why all the liquid that is passed out is drawn to the inside of the padding. The inside of the padding is made with super absorbents such as Sodium polyacrylate granules. These are granules which swell as they absorb the urine. Incidentally sodium polyacrylate was banned from use in tampons in 1985 due to their link with Toxic Shock Syndrome. No one really knows what the long term effects of these chemicals being next to a baby’s skin would be. Possibilities include skin problems, allergies and many more.
There are many more things that go into a disposable nappy. These in summary include the residue from bleaching agents which are used to make them whiter, lotion to make it soft, fragrances to make it smell sweet, tapes to keep them fastened, elastic for the leg cuffs and cellulose for constructing the core pad. So much complication just for a few hours of wear and then a long long time in the landfill.
What other problems have been associated with disposable nappies? Other problems that have been linked with disposable nappies are mainly: That they contain a chemical called TBT (Tributyltin) which is said to disrupt sex hormones. It is said that if your baby wears 5 disposable nappies a day his exposure to this chemical is 3.8times more than the limit. No one knows whether the complete amount is absorbed by the baby’s skin or not but it is a well known fact that a baby’s skin is thinner than an adult’s skin. The same chemical is said to be able to disrupt the immune system if absorbed by bacteria fighting cells in the body.
The other serious problem linked with disposable nappies is that they release chemicals that may trigger an asthmatic attack. These chemicals are Tolune, xylene, ethylbenzene, styrene and isopropylbenzene amongst others. They are a consequence of the manufacturing process. Parents who are asthmatic are advised to be mindful of any such triggers.
What alternatives do parents have? Now comes the big question. The problem with disposable nappies is that they are so convenient that that they make you feel that you simply cannot do without them. It’s so easy: change every 4 hours, pack and bin. That’s all there is to it. After reading about all the problems associated with them however I was forced to look at my alternatives. After all I wouldn’t want my baby to grow up and have any of these problems linked to them and then on top of that listening to him blame me for them too-just because I thought it was more convenient to make him wear disposables. Well I was pleasantly surprised to see the progress in the real nappy industry. So much that I wondered why I had bothered spending such a lot of money on disposables for the past 7 months. My idea of a real nappy was a square cloth or towel that you fold in some kite type shape and pack round your baby’s bottom with sharp little safety pins. On visiting the local baby shop my idea soon changed because they now have cloth or towel (terry nappies) shaped just like disposables with velcros on the sides so there is no need for safety pins. These have a thick spongy pad in the middle for absorption.
Great now what about the cleaning hell? Easy the shop assistant said…. If you have a washing machine and a drier it’s even easier. All you do is brush the poo off the nappy and toss it into the washing machine and then the drier. If there is no poo then just put straight into the washing machine. You can wait for 6 nappies to collect before you wash by leaving them in covered pale or bucket. If you haven’t got a washing machine and a drier you can brush the poo and give soiled nappies a rinse before you put them into a pail with detergent in it. Nowadays detergents are very strong –you do not need to boil and boil anymore. Leave the nappies in the detergent for a couple of hours then throw away the detergent water and give them a thorough rinse and a final soak in freshly boiled water for a while if you like. That’s it now just squeeze the water out and hang dry. There not so difficult is it-just think about the good things.
And if you find this a big hassle then here is some better news-they now have things called nappy liners which you stick on a nappy and flush in the toilet when soiled. These are made of paper pulp. Nappies don’t even soil a lot with these liners. In fact they are the real nappy industry’s answer to disposable nappies.
Now if you don’t think that is easy then I know exactly what can help you – a nappy cleaning service-just call directory and get the number for the one nearest to you!
About the Author
Elizabeth Turner is a Chartered Certified Accountant. She is an all rounder and writes on a variety of subjects. She specializes in preparing tutorial material for students of finance.
