I had made a decision to use seventh generation diapers and decided I wanted to know why chlorine free diapers were the better choice. Not an easy find.
Most of what I find is environmental, and don't get me wrong, I do care about the environment, but that is not my reason for using them. What I am worried about is my little one and what I am putting on him day in and day out. The diapers will sit in a landfill for years to come no matter which disposable I choose.
The chlorine problem stems from the Dioxin, which is a byproduct of the paper-bleaching process used in manufacturing disposable diapers. It has also been shown to cause cancer, birth defects, liver damage, and skin diseases. Chlorine-free disposable diapers, therefore, do not pose the same risk. I can't find evidence that this is a problem when touching babies skin or just during the manufacturing process??
I did come across the SAP "gel" issue. Apparently diapers use a gel, three layers into the diaper, to absorb the moisture. This gel is made of sodium polyacrylate which has been known to cause toxic shock syndrome and has been removed from tampons, but not diapers.
Also, TBT, or tributyl tin, is an environmental pollutant, believed to be one of the most toxic substances ever made, has a hormone-like effect; even small amounts can impair immune and hormonal systems. So I guess we don't want that....
Where does this leave me? Well.. I have found that seventh generation diapers use the SAP gel, and that they are not brown because they are "not bleached", but because they are died brown! Their website actually states that they die them brown to distinguish them from other diapers on the market. So what is the point of spending the extra money on them?
There are a couple diapers that are free of everything that could be unsafe, but there is no way I can afford them. Especially because they are so much more expensive and they all say you have to change them more often because they are not as absorbent.
I have decided to buy traditional diapers. Enough is enough. I can't afford the alternative and cloth diapers are not an option.
Vincenzo will thank me when I can afford to feed and shelter him.
Just a side note... I in no way intended to "inform" anyone about these issues... it is simply helpful for me to "write" things out in order to make these ridiculous decisions. It's just how I roll.
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