It turns out that the biggest concern about SAPs in general, and
sodium polyacrylate in particular, is not toxicity, but their environmental friendliness.
Sodium polyacrylate: According to various material safety data sheets (documents created by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration that list potential hazards of chemicals in great detail),
the sodium polyacrylate in diapers is mild stuff.
Not exact matches
No Optical Brighteners), Absorbent Core (
Sodium Polyacrylate Blended With Plant - Based & Plant - Derived Material), Plant - Based PLA (Inner & Outer Layer), Safe Adhesives (
In Seams & Joints), Polymer Spandex & Polypropylene (
In Leg / Waist System), Ink (Made Without Lead & Heavy Metals
In Printed Backsheet), Citrus Extract & Liquid Chlorophyll (Natural Acting Odor Blockers
In Absorbent - Core)
If you are worried about the chemicals found
in disposable diapers, click here to read Eco-Friendly Diapers for more information on dioxin and
sodium polyacrylate.
The chemical
sodium polyacrylate is found
in disposable diapers and can absorb up to 1,000 times its weight, which makes the diaper able to hold so much urine.
Tributyl - tin (TBT) is also found
in disposable diapers, an endocrine toxin, and
sodium polyacrylate, the gel - like substance that absorbs wetness and also causes vomiting, staph infections and fever.
A fact sheet from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indicates that about 90 % of exposure for humans is due to eating contaminated food, since dioxins and furans typically accumulate
in the fatty tissues of fish and animals that are exposed when these by - products are released into the water and air during manufacturing.2 Dioxin is not metabolized
in our bodies, and is passed to our children through the placenta and breastfeeding.3
Sodium Polyacrylate - Super Absorbent Polymers While actual contact with disposable diapers does not contribute to dioxin accumulation
in your baby, your baby's bottom does come
in contact with chemicals used to increase the absorbency of the diapers.
The absorbent core A disposable diaper's absorbent center contains wood pulp (usually bleached white with chlorine) and super-absorbent polymers, usually
sodium polyacrylate — a compound that can soak up to 30 times its weight
in urine.
Phthalates and
sodium polyacrylate, two ingredients
in disposable diapers, are increasingly showing concern
in recent research.
Sodium Polyacrylate was also linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)
in tampons and is no longer used to produce them.
Sodium polyacrylate can absorb several hundred - times its own weight
in water.
Specifically, most disposable diapers on the market today use a chemical compound known as
sodium polyacrylate, which is used frequently
in gardening, too, to help soil retain water.
The World Health Organization expresses concern with the primary ingredients
in hydrogels — the acrylic acid and acrylamide, also called
sodium polyacrylate.
It's also true that
sodium polyacrylate is so effective at moisture absorption that it can over dry the skin and cause irritation —
in other words, it may contribute to diaper rash.
However, I believe that limiting the amount of potential toxins from pee to poop to
sodium polyacrylate (found
in typically manufactured disposable diapers) touching your baby over time is by far the most logical and sensible way to avoid rash and other unknown long - term health problems.
[12] Further developments
in diaper design were made, such as the introduction of refastenable tapes, the «hourglass shape» so as to reduce bulk at the crotch area, and the 1984 introduction of super-absorbent material from polymers known as
sodium polyacrylate that were originally developed
in 1966.
The absorbent material
in the diapers contain
sodium polyacrylate, which can cause severe skin infections and is the «same substance that was removed from tampons
in 1985 because of its link to toxic shock syndrome».
Those are a Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP),
sodium polyacrylate crystals, that soak up the wetness and turn into a gel
in the process.
Health benefits: Disposable diapers contain chemicals like dioxin and
sodium polyacrylate which may cause health problems to both babies and the people who work
in the disposable manufacturing industries.
Additionally, they have
sodium polyacrylate, which is a super-absorbency material that causes toxic shock syndrome
in tampons by harboring harmful bacteria.
It is interesting to note that studies show employees
in factories manufacturing
sodium polyacrylate suffer from female organ problems, slow healing wounds, fatigue and weight loss.
The inner core is comprised of sustainably harvested, biodegrdable wood pulp fibers with 3 grams of SAP (
Sodium Polyacrylate) gel (compare to 10 - 20 grams found
in other disposable diapers).
The materials are breathable and do not contain superabsorbent gels (
sodium polyacrylate) or toxic chemicals such as dioxin that can be found
in disposable diapers.
The hydrogel most commonly used
in diapers is
sodium polyacrylate.
A 2008 report
in the journal Clinics
in Dermatology cited only one case of a possible allergic skin reaction to
sodium polyacrylate, and that was
in an adult using an incontinence pad.
Next up is
Sodium Polyacrylate, the super absorbent gelling material, or AGM, that allows your baby to go long periods
in one diaper.
Sodium Polyacrylate has been linked
in the past to toxic shock syndrome, as well as allergic reactions, and it's is potentially lethal to pets.
Even more worrisome are the super-absorbent diapers, which often contain cross-linked
sodium polyacrylate, a powder that turns to a gel
in contact with liquid.
The powder substance
in disposables that absorbs liquid,
sodium polyacrylate, is a super absorbent polymer which was banned from tampons due to links with toxic shock syndrome.