From birth to toilet training, a baby goes through an average of 8000 diaper changes. According to Environment Canada, more than four million disposable diapers are discarded in Canada each day. It probably takes 500 years for a disposable diaper to decompose in a landfill.
This sheer volume of diapers makes one thing clear: Your choice of diaper - cloth or disposable - has a tremendous impact on the welfare of your baby and the planet. To help you decide what's best for your family, here are some things you should know.
Diapers and health
Exposure to chemicals Many disposable and cloth diapers are bleached white with chlorine. There have been concerns that diapers may contain trace amounts of dioxin, a highly carcinogenic byproduct of chlorine bleaching. Some parents’ are concerned about exposing baby’s skin and genital areas to dioxins, however, research so far does not support these concerns.
Advertisement | page continues below
A study published in the Archives of Environmental Health in 1999, found that disposable diapers do release chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and dipentene. VOCs are linked to toxic health effects over time and with a high level of exposure, including cancer and brain damage.
The same researchers found that mice exposed to chemicals released by disposable diapers were more likely to have irritated airways than mice exposed to emissions from cloth diapers. These effects were increased during repeat exposures. There was a brand of disposable diaper that had a low emission similar to that of cloth diapers, but the name was not revealed in the study. The authors suggested that disposable diapers may cause "asthma-like" reactions. More research is needed into the possible connection before complete conclusions and recommendations can be made.
Finally, the key absorbent filler in disposable diapers, sodium polyacrylate, may cause respiratory and skin irritations in settings where exposures are at higher levels than occurs with diaper use.
Diaper rash Diaper rash usually worsens with moist skin. Whether or not your baby’s skin is damp depends more on your diapering habits than on the type of diaper. Cloth diapers have the advantage of feeling wet so that babies and parents know it’s time for a change. However, cloth diapers have the disadvantage of actually being wet on your baby’s skin. Disposables whisk away the moisture to some extent so your baby is not actually wet. Since your baby doesn’t feel wet you may not change disposable diapers as frequently as cloth ones. Regardless of the type of diaper used, it is important to change them frequently, every 2-3 hours, even if they feel dry.
Temperature One study looked at a small group of baby boys and found that those
wearing disposable diapers had higher scrotal temperatures. The study did not show any adverse effects on fertility, although there is some research into
scrotal temperatures and fertility in grown men. Another study found that scrotal temperatures in boys wearing cloth diapers with a protective cover were the same as those for boys wearing disposables. Cloth diapers worn alone were linked with the lowest temperatures.
Diapers and the environment
Diapers and the use of natural resources Many natural resources are needed to produce diapers. Manufacturing both kinds of diapers requires energy and water. Disposable use large amounts of wood pulp and plastics made from petroleum products. Cleaning cloth diapers takes additional energy and water.
Mothering magazine estimates that washing cloth diapers at home uses the same amount of water as flushing the toilet five to six times a day. Diaper services tend to wash in high volume and that is more energy- and water-efficient.
Environmental pollution Both disposable and cloth diapers can cause harm to the environment. The essential problem with disposable diapers is disposal. Disposable diapers are made from materials that don’t biodegrade very well. Materials like paper, plastic and the absorptive gel, sodium polyacrylate will remain in landfills for generations. Be aware of "biodegradable" disposable diapers. Usually this means that manufacturers add cornstarch to the plastic. This helps the plastic break apart in little pieces but the plastic isn’t converted into benign substances. In fact, cornstarch makes the plastic impossible to recycle.
The biggest environmental plus for cloth diapers is that they can be reused. This lowers their environmental impact per diaper.
Advertisement | page continues below
The biggest environmental concern for cloth diapers is that they are made from cotton. Cotton crops use more pesticides than any other crop. Farmers tend to use genetically engineered cotton seeds. These altered plants may affect the ecosystem in a variety of ways.
Diapers and waste water There is some risk that the waste water from washing cloth diapers can cause environmental harm. However,
diaper services and families generally use biodegradable detergents and, otherwise, diaper wash water is benign.
As mentioned earlier, diaper production, regardless of type, causes the release of dioxin in waste water from chlorine bleaching of cotton and wood pulp. Dioxin tends to persist for many years and accumulates in animal and human tissue. People are then exposed to dioxin through food that has been contaminated by environmental pollution.
Along with dioxin, waste water from the manufacture of wood pulp, paper and plastics in disposables diapers can contain solvents, sludge and additional heavy metals.
Diapering in the 21st Century
Many Canadian households use disposables for convenience and as a result there has been a decline in the number of diaper services available. But, given the facts, the right cloth diapers may make the most health and environmental sense. In general, organically grown, unbleached cotton products offer the healthiest, environmentally friendly option.
However, busy lives sometimes demand disposables. In some parts of Canada, there may be a way to reduce the impact of disposable diapers further by recycling them in your household wet waste garbage.
