The Poop on Eco-Friendly Diapers

[PfcHammer]

Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,63182,00.html

The Poop on Eco-Friendly Diapers
By Elisa Batista

02:00 AM Apr. 27, 2004 PT

BERKELEY, California -- Like many new mothers in this environmentally friendly city, Keri Hayes, a freelance reporter, diapers her 5-month-old daughter in cloth and biodegradable disposable diapers.

But she was dismayed to learn from her cloth diaper service that the biodegradable disposable diapers she purchases from Whole Foods, a grocery chain that specializes in organic foods and environmentally conscious products, aren't much better for the environment or the health of her baby than the Huggies and Pampers piled up in landfills.

"These diapers all contain super-absorbent gelling materials," or AGM, said the latest newsletter from cloth diaper service Tiny Tots. "AGM is linked to an increase in childhood asthma and a decrease in sperm count among boys. Environmentally, these diapers require as much water, energy and fuel to produce as any other single-use diaper. The bottom line is they offer no environmental or health benefits."

Diapering is arguably the most important decision parents could make for the environment and their young children, who are in diapers around the clock for upward of two years. However, no studies indicate that the absorbent substance used in disposables harms babies. Overall, there is little guidance in the contradictory studies and misinformation put out by the diaper industry.

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[rucky]

1. landfills vs. sulfides... that's it. no diapers for my baby!

think my wife will like that idea?

[Moderator]

2. Locking

Late Breaking News rules: no story more than 12 hours old.