(The take-home lesson: use cloth diapers on mice.
--Len)
Disposable diaper emissions cause asthma-like symptoms in mice
WESTPORT, Oct 01 (Reuters Health) - Chemical emissions from
disposable diapers leads to pulmonary irritation and other symptoms in
exposed mice, researchers report in the September-October issue of the
Archives of Environmental Health.
Drs. Rosalind C. Anderson and Julius H. Anderson of Anderson
Laboratories, West Hartford, Vermont found that following exposure to
"...two brands of disposable diapers, many mice exhibited reduced
mid-expiratory airflow velocity, sensory irritation and pulmonary irritation."
These effects were increased with repeat exposure.
"Chemical analysis of the emissions revealed several chemicals with
documented respiratory toxicity," the authors write.
Exposure to a third brand of disposable diaper did not cause irritation, but
negatively affected breathing rate and pattern, while only slight respiratory
effects were noted with cloth diapers.
The team concludes that "[d]isposable diapers should be considered as
one of the factors that might cause or exacerbate asthmatic conditions."
Dr. Julius Anderson told Reuters Health that further studies "...are needed
to determine whether child care products such as disposable diapers are
contributing to the worldwide childhood asthma epidemic."
He recommended that in children "...with asthma or other respiratory
diseases [one] should probably avoid disposable diapers and use cloth
diapers instead...and mothers with asthma should probably avoid handling
disposable diapers."
Arch Environ Health 1999;54:353-358.