Ok- I don't even know where I'm at anymore with the parts of this diaper story, but I'm okay with that. Recently I had to complete a persuasive/argument paper for my English 101 class. My topic of choice? If you really had to ask that, you don't know me very well.
I've had a lot of people asking about cloth diapering as of late & since this paper had a lot more research and information contained all in one place than trying to compile all of my previous blogs, I've decided to post it here for all you interested Mamas and Papas... It's a little long (it was a research paper after all) but well worth the read... Forgive me if there are any formatting errors that occur during "translation". Enjoy!
Cloth v. Disposable: The War of the Diapers
Throughout the years, humans have invented a variety of items intended to make life a little more convenient, simple and timesaving. Unfortunately, not all fulfilled that function and a few have been a little more than dangerous or detrimental. Of all inventions in the twentieth century, single-use diapers, better known as “disposables”, are singularly the most prevalent yet unidentified of these flawed inventions. While proponents for disposables use terms like “convenient” and “absorbent” to market their products, many statistics and opinions used by these companies against cloth diapering advocates are either spun or misrepresented. In this article, we will explore why these actions and views are misleading and invalid based on four main arguments: cost, environment, rashes/dryness and health.
Cost
Proponents for disposable diapers argue that the initial investment in purchasing cloth diapers is equal to the cost of using disposable diapers.
(Note: With the many varying aspects and variables to take into consideration, we will be narrowing the field of information to compare disposable diapers and the KaWaii Baby brand cloth diapers. Costs for disposable wipes, “Diaper Genie” products, garbage/refuse and additional potty training products such as “Pull-ups” will not be included in the below comparison. However, please note that these costs are in addition to the price per change calculated below and costs for “Diaper Genie” and “Pull-ups” products and the added garbage/refuse do increase the price per change of disposable diapering.)
The price per diaper change (ppc) of disposable diapers can be found by using the formula: ppc = package price / number of diapers. However, for the purpose of this article, we will be using an approximated average of $0.37 ppc. (Brand averages: “Seventh Gen $.40 ea, Goodnights $.80 ea, Huggies $.34 ea, Pampers $.34 ea, Wal-Mart brand $.21 ea. Costs vary due to size and brand. Larger babies may use fewer diapers/day, but each diaper costs more, about $.50 a piece.) (Softbums, 2011) KaWaii Baby pocket-style diapers range between $6.99 (basic) - $11.20 (bamboo) per diaper. This amount includes one diaper shell and two microfiber inserts which are “stuffed” into the pocket and act as the absorbent layer. KaWaii Baby diapers also have a snap-adjustment system for size adjustment allowing these diapers to fit babies from approximately eight pounds to approximately thirty-six pounds, which should fit a child from birth through potty training. (KaWaii Baby Diapers)
Utilizing the following numbers, we can calculate the cost of using disposable diapers compared to cloth: (Softbums, 2011)
*A newborn though 3 months old will go through an average of 12-24 changes per day.
*Age 3-9 month olds and 9 month to 1 year olds have an average of 10 changes per day.
* Age 12-18, 18-24 and 24-36 months have an average of 8 changes per day.
Using the approximated average listed above, the price per age range comes out to be:
Age
|
# of changes / day
|
# disposable diapers needed per age range
|
Disposable by age cost (# diapers x $0.37)
|
Cost of KaWaii Baby (bamboo) ($11.20 x 24)
|
Newborn–3 mo
|
12-24
|
1080
|
$399.60
|
$268.80
|
3-9 mo
|
10
|
1800
|
$666.00
|
No additional purchase needed
|
9 mo-1 year
|
10
|
900
|
$333.00
|
No additional purchase needed
|
12-18 mo
|
8
|
1440
|
$532.80
|
No additional purchase needed
|
18-24 mo
|
8
|
1440
|
$532.80
|
No additional purchase needed
|
24-36 mo
|
6-8
|
2520
|
$932.40
|
No additional purchase needed
|
Based on these calculations, the total price for using disposable diapers from birth through potty training is approximately $3,396.60.
Cloth diapers are reusable. After the initial investment in cloth, no additional purchase is needed. This is because as a baby ages, they generally need fewer diaper changes and the original 24 diapers can be used in a rotation to cover multiple days worth of diaper changes before washing is required to restock the supply. The total investment and cost of cloth diapering with KaWaii Baby Bamboo is only $268.80. This is a material cost savings of $3,127.80 over disposable diapers.
Water consumption, detergent impact and energy use also factor into this debate and considered in the next section.
Environment
Advocates of disposable diapers argue that they are better for the environment because of the increased energy and water consumption required to launder cloth diapers. In this section, we will compare the environmental impact of disposable diapers against cloth.
“18 billion disposable diapers are used in the U.S. each year. Enough to stretch to the moon and back 9 times.” (Flug)
Disposable diapers are composed of multiple layers: a waterproof polyethylene outer layer, a water repellent liner and an internal layer comprised of wood pulp, sodium polyacrylate and trace chemicals. The waterproof outer and water repellent inner liner layers are made of polyethylene. The raw material used to create this substance is oil, which is non-renewable. In order to make enough plastic for one disposable diaper, one cup of crude oil is processed. “It takes 286 lbs. of plastic (including diaper packaging) per year to supply 1 baby in disposable diapers. It takes 200-400 kg. of fluff pulp to supply 1 baby in disposables for 1 year.” (Sanders, 2002) The wood pulp in disposable diapers is bleached with chlorine gas which produces toxins like furan and dioxin, which is discussed in more detail later. While these toxins are by-products, they travel through the processing plants emissions and end up in the diapers that are manufactured from the pulp. (Sanders, 2002) “According to the CDC (Cotton Diaper Coalition), it takes massive amounts of water ‘…to process wood pulp into paper for throwaways. Little recycled paper is used in the production of most throwaways. The production of a disposable diaper comes at a high environmental price both in water and energy.’” (Sanders, 2002)
Using the 1991 Procter & Gamble studies, the Women’s Environmental Network in London commissioned The Landbank Consultancy to review and reprocess the findings and claims of Procter & Gamble. The Landbank Consultancy determined that Procter & Gamble had “falsely claimed the environmental impact of disposables was not materially worse than cloth diaper usage. They concluded that disposable diapers create 2.3 times as much water waste, use 3.5 times as much energy, use 8.3 times the non-regenerable raw materials, use 90 times the renewable raw materials and 4 to 30 times as much land for growing raw materials. Simply put, since disposables consume 70% more energy than the average reusable diaper per diaper change, is it really WISE to use 3.4 billion gallons of oil and over 250,000 trees annually to manufacture them when they already end up in our overburdened landfills? Disposable diapers are the 3rd largest single consumer item in landfills, and represent 30% of non-biodegradable waste.” (Sanders, 2002)
“The American Academy of Pediatrics and The American Public Health Association advise parents that fecal matter and urine should not be allowed to be disposed of together in the regular trash, because it contaminates the ground water and spreads disease. ’Disposable diaper packages contain a request printed on the outside of the package that the inner diapers be rinsed and the fecal material flushed down the toilet before the diapers are put out for curbside collection.’” (Sanders, 2002) The difference is, when fecal matter is flushed, it is processed, along with the urine that is washed out in the wash cycle, through a water treatment plant. When fecal matter is bound with the urine in a plastic wrapper, it goes to the landfill where bacteria are left to flourish and infect any animal or insect that comes in contact with it, which may bring those infectants back to us either by direct contact or through ground water contamination.
Cloth diapers use renewable materials and fabrics, like cotton. “If you go the cloth diaper route, you’ll use less than 10 kg of cotton for 2 (not just 1) years worth of diapering.” (Sanders, 2002) The cost per diaper wash cycle to operate an electric water heater is approximately $0.34/load and using a gas water heater is approximately $0.10/load. Figured at three loads a week for thirty-six months, you will spend $43.20 in energy costs to use cloth diapers. Yes, the water consumption of the household may increase, but the amount is dependent on whether a regular or high-efficiency washer is being used. In either case, the water is sent to the local water treatment plant, which makes the levels of ground water contamination practially non-existent.
Cloth diapers also require the use of detergent that is perfume- and dye-free, which many households with children use for their regular washes already. The recommended amount of detergent in a cloth cycle is ¼-½ the regular clothing “dose”, which equates to 1 additional dose of detergent for every 2-4 cloth washes. This amount is less than significant when considering the large volume of detergent used weekly for regular clothing wash cycles.
Cloth diapers are reusable and the materials used in the manufacturing of them are recycleable or renewable.
Rashes/Dryness
There is no denying that disposable diapers keep babies dry. However, too much of a good thing can be very bad.
“Disposables will hold about 7 pounds of fluid.” (McDiarmid) “Widespread diaper rash is a fairly new phenomenon that surfaced along with disposable diapers. Reasons for more rashes include allergies to chemicals, lack of air, higher temperatures because plastic retains body heat, and babies are probably changed less often because they feel dry when wet.” (Caldwell) “The Super-Absorbent qualities of disposable diapers offer a sort of Catch 22. Yes, it wicks [verb: “to draw off (liquid) by capillary action.” (Dictionary.com)] away moisture from your baby’s skin, but they also do two other things: 1) Facilitates less diaper changing from parents- which leads to rashes because of babies’ exposure to the super-absorbent chemicals, bacterial growth, and the ammonia from accumulated urine in the diaper. 2) ‘Pulls’ natural moisture (not just urine) from the baby’s skin- this too will encourage irritation.” (Sanders, 2002)
Plastic does not allow for proper air flow. In some studies, this has been shown to correlate with male infertility. “Diapers lined with plastic raise the temperature of the scrotum far above body temperature and can lead to a total breakdown of normal cooling mechanisms, according to the study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.” (Sanders, 2002)
Cloth diapers are made of cotton and nylon, both of which are breathable materials and nylon provides waterproofing from leaks. An added benefit to this is that babies can feel when they are wet in cloth much more than in disposables. Studies have shown a correlation between faster potty training and cloth diaper use because babies do not like to feel wet. Does a newborn sit idlely and do nothing when they feel their diaper is wet & they’re uncomfortable? No- they cry.
Health
Perhaps the most important, yet least known, argument regarding cloth versus disposable are the potential and numerous health risks associated with disposable diapers. It is rare that you hear the disposable diaper manufacturers speaking about the health benefits of using their products. You do, however, constantly hear about how convenient their products are and how much more worry free you will be by using their products.
There are three main chemicals that are found in disposable diapers: sodium polyacrylate, dioxin, and tributyl tin. Sodium polyacrylate is a powder that is used to make disposable diapers super-absorbent. When moisture is introduced, the powder becomes a gel. If too much moisture is absorbed, the gel can force tears in the interior lining of the diaper and come in direct contact with the babies skin, namely their behind and privates. This substance has killed rats when injected in lab test, has caused severe allergic reactions and skin irritations along with fever, vomiting and staph infections in babies and was banned from use in tampons in 1985 due to the strong correlation with Toxic Shock Syndrome. (Sanders, 2002)
Dioxin is a by-product of the bleaching of the wood pulp that is used along with the sodium polyacrylate. This substance is carcinogenic and is noted by the EPA as “’the MOST TOXIC’ of all cancer-linked chemicals. In small quantities it causes birth defects, skin/liver disease, immune system suppression & genetic damage in lab animals. Banned in most countries, but not the United States.” (Sanders, 2002)
Tributyl tin is an environmental pollutant that is considered highly toxic. Causing damage to the immune system and impairing the hormonal system, it is absorbed through the skin and, in even the smallest concentrations, has a hormone-like effect that could cause sterility in males. (Sanders, 2002)
“The Archives of Environmental Health tested 6 leading cloth diapers and 6 leading disposable diapers and discovered that the emmissions from one disposable diaper were high enough to produce asthma-like symptoms in mice.” ("Kelly", 2009)
Is it really more convenient when a child’s health is at risk? While cloth diapering may be a bit more time consuming, more and more parents would much rather put that time and energy into knowing exactly what products, materials and chemicals, or lack there of, are being put against their child’s skin rather than spending that time at the doctor’s office because of a serious illness. Chemicals have been removed from female hygene products because of the health risks, yet these chemicals are left in disposable diapers that touch not only female, but male private parts. Parents would never dream of putting themselves at risk by exposing themselves to these chemicals, yet babies are forced to have these chemicals against their skin without serious consideration given to their overall health and well-being. Cloth diapers contain none, absolutely zero, of these chemicals. The interior linings that touch the baby’s skin are all natural. Material and fabric are used to absorb moisture instead of chemicals shown to cause irritating and, some times, life-threatening reactions.
While proponents for disposable diapering shout “convenient” and “absorbent”, the long term impact, not only on the environment, but on our children themselves must be in the forefront of our minds. When determining which is better, cloth or disposables, one must take into account the various health risks, both external and internal, to which the child will be exposed. It is for these reasons that more and more parents are turning back to cloth diapers.
Bibliography
(n.d.). Retrieved from Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wicks?s=t
"Kelly". (2009, April). 10 Benefits To Using Cloth Diapers. Retrieved from The Cloth Diaper Whisperer: http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/2009/04/10-benefits-to-using-cloth-diapers.html
Caldwell, G. (n.d.). Diapers. Disposable or Cotton? Retrieved from Eco-Baby Catalogue: http://www.ecobaby.com
Flug, R. (n.d.). Top Ten Environmental Reasons For Choosing Cotton Diapers. Retrieved from Diaperraps: www.ebabydiaper.com
KaWaii Baby Diapers. (n.d.). Retrieved from The Luv Your Baby: http://www.theluvyourbaby.com
McDiarmid, C. (n.d.). The Facts: Cloth vs. Disposable Diapers. Retrieved from Born to Love: http://www.borntolove.com/facts.html
Sanders, H. L. (2002). The Diaper Drama. Retrieved from Diaper Pin: http://www.diaperpin.com/clothdiapers/article_diaperdrama.asp
Softbums. (2011). Softbums Reusable Diaper Information Booklet. Retrieved from Softbums: www.softbums.com
