What Stinks?

1. What Stinks? A Cradle to Grave Analysis of the Disposable Diaper By Rene’ Rodriguez Race, Poverty, & the Urban Environment Professor Raquel R. Pinderhughes San Francisco State University Spring 2003 Public has permission to use material herein, but only if author, course, university, and professor are credited.

2. Introduction This presentation focuses on the disposable diaper. It takes you through the cradle to grave life cycle of the diaper, paying particular attention to the social, environmental, and public health aspects associated with the diaper. We start by looking at the history of the diaper and how it has evolved from its simple roots. We then analyze the raw materials used to make the disposable diaper, production, distribution, consumption, and its waste site, all the while focusing on the harmful impacts these processes have on the environment andsurrounding communities.

3. Diaper Evolution (www.cp.pdr.net/hostedfiles/docs/papc_diapers_site/history.htm)

4. Natural Resources • Oil • 18 billion disposable diapers used per year in US alone • It takes one cup of crude oil to make the plastic in one disposable diaper • Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polyurethane, & Polyacrylate • 3.4 billion gallons of oil used annually to manufacture them • 246 lbs of plastic are used to diaper a baby for one year • Wood (cellulose) • It takes 200-300 kg of pulp to supply a baby for one year • Over 250,000 trees are used annually for diapers (Sanders, 2001)

5. Oil

6. Preparing to drill • The land is cleared, leveled and roads are built • If no source of water is nearby, a well is drilled • A reserve pit is dug and (should be) lined • A hole is dug for the oil rig • More holes are dug for equipment and employee access • Sometimes rigs are built on ships (Freudenrich, 1998)

7. Oil Drilling Anatomy (Fruedenrich,1998)

8. Drilling the Oil • As crews are drilling, they must cement the hole to keep it from caving in. • Once they have reached a final depth, a perforating gun explosively charges holes into the casing for which oil can flow. • A well is made for oil to flow into. • Acid is pumped down the well and dissolves channels in the limestone to lead it into the well. • A fluid containing sand, walnut shells, and aluminum is used on sandstone. • Once the oil is flowing, the rig is removed and extraction begins. (Freudenrich, 1998)

9. Extraction • After the rig is removed, a pump is put on the head of the well • The pump is forced up and down and the oil is suctioned up from the well. • A second hole is drilled and steam is injected under pressure, which helps to push it up the well. (Freudenrich, 1998)

10. Impacts on Forest • Forests are harmed even before oil is drilled • Roads are constructed into remote areas for exploration • Construction destroys habitats, and roads increase traffic in fragile areas (Oxfam, 2001) • Texaco constructed oil roads in Ecuador that opened 2.5 million acres of forest to colonization • Deforestation • The Amason Basin has the greatest diversity of plants in So. America • Eduador’s rainforests are being cut down by oil corps at a rate of 340,000 hectares a year • Animals which indigenous people hunt have migrated deeperinto the forests (Dabbs, 1996)

11. Pollution of Water • Drilling produces waste muds and other gross stuff that is stored in special pits • Unlined pits leak wasted into water supplies, rivers, and lakes (Oxfam, 2001) • Oil placed on roads to prevent dust also flows into rivers • Drinking, bathing, and fishing water sources in the Amazon have toxin levels much higher than EPA standards; fish in gulf have high mercury levels • Oil spills also poison water • Effects of water contamination • Increased risks of cancer • Miscarriage • Demititis, fungul infections • Headache and nausea • Dead fish (Dabbs, 1996) www.panda.org/about-wwf/what_we_d0/freshwater/prolems.cfm

12. Oil wells burn off natural gas polluting air and making constant noise Gas flares produce soot which is deposited on roofs Also reduces crop growth and affects wildlife Rain washes soot off of the rooftops Chemicals in soot can be detrimental to soil’s fertility Oil spills contaminate top soil so that plants can’t grow (Oxfam, 2001) Pollution of Air and Soil

13. Middle Magdalena • Life in this region of Columbia • 40% unemployed; double national rate • 70% live in poverty • Violence • 2 major Guerilla groups condemn foreign control of oil • 1000 pipelines blown up since 1986 • In 1998, a village was set on fire, 73 dead • Pollution • Great Magdalena River polluted with sewage, industrial waste from the oil companies (Dunning, Wirpsa, 2001)

14. Ethnocide • The people of Middle Magdalena are just one example of indigenous peoples all around the world losing their way of life to the petroleum industry • Forced emigration • They must move from their rural homes into slums due to violence, pollution, and losing land • Life after leaving • Children resort to prostitution to support families • Little medical care • No reproductive services • Women in labor having complications turned away from emergency rooms • The more wealthy people in the cities mostly have no idea of theethnocide going on around them (www.reliefweb.org, 2003)

15. Oil Spills • Oil spills occur during accidents involving tankers, barges, and pipelines usually when the oil is being transported to us (www.response.restoration.noaa.gov, 2002) • Causes of spills • Natural disasters • Carelessness • Illegal dumpers • Equipment breaking • Pipelines are supposed to be buried to reduce risk of breaking and spilling • But they are often above ground and run though villages (Dabbs, 1996)

16. Effects of Oil Spills • Spills can leave soil economically useless • Oil floats on water spreading out into a thin layer • Oil destroys insulation of fur and water repellent in feathersof animals • Many animals ingest oil when they try to clean themselves (NOA,2002)

17. Oil Refining • Oil is a mixture of small and large molecules • Separating crude oil • Oil is boiled; small molecules separate from large • Large molecules cracked to form smaller ones • The result is organic chemicals which form building blocks of plastic • Other chemicals such as chlorine and lead are added to give strength, stiffness, etc. • Building blocks are then heated to form long chains • This polymerization turns the raw materials into plastic resin (Montague,1991)

18. Acid Rain Acids form from NO2 and SO2 They acidify all forms of precipitation Lead, copper, and aluminum are leached into drinking water Combustion causes excess nitrogen and phosphorus in lakes and coastal waters Seafood becomes contaminated; “dead zones” Climate Change Burning of fossil fuels and land clearing have increased the level of green house gases (CO2) Droughts are becoming more severe Global weather patterns are changing No. latitude pipelines are threatened by permafrost melting (Epstein, Selver,2002) Combustion

19. Workers’ Conditions • Injury and chronic disease from exposureto • Cadmium • Arsenic • Cyanide • Lead • Leukemia due to exposure to petroleum and by-products • Labor and safety rules are usually inadequate in developing or poor communities • Work related deaths in the oil extraction process is higher than all US industry worker deaths combined! (Epstein,Selver, 2001)

20. Wood

21. Natural forests are cut down in favor of plantations 1.4 million hectares of forest in Indonesia have been cut down and replaced by plantations Plantation proponents believe that by using plantations, we won’t need to log natural forests But natural forests are used either way Indigenous communities are displaced No comparison between forests and plantations A monocrop plantation can’t compare with the diversity (and beauty) that a natural forest has Plantations are treated with insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides Frequent harvests can leave land inviable (Brown, Flavin,2001) Pulpwood Plantations

22. Tree Farm

23. Pulp wood • Diapers contain cellulose, Kraft wood pulp • Kraft pulping • Bark stripped from trees and chipped • Wood chips are boiled with caustic soda • Pulp becomes dark brown and very strong (Kroesa, 1990) • Bleaching • Usually elemental chlorine is used • Some companies such as Procter & Gamble, and Kimberly-Clark have switched to other types of chlorine which reduce discharges by 90% • However, these levels are still toxic, but too low to detect (Brown,Flavin,2000)

24. Pulp Wood Factory www.wawickint.com/html/pulp

25. Harmful Effects of Pulping and Bleaching • Pulp and paper industry uses more water to make one ton of product than any other US industry • Also has highest intensity levels of emission • Produces stinky air and sickening water • Unidentified compounds are produced • In some Asian nations, there are thousands of mills that have no treatment systems so untreated “black pulping liquor” is released into waterways • Some aquatic life dies right away, while others suffer long term and make their way up the food chain • Bleaching also releases dioxins into the air (Brown, Flavin, 2000)

26. Legionaire’s Diease Type of pnemonia Can be deadly Caused by using injection molding equipment (www.osha.gov,1984) Irritating materials and fumes Runny nose and eyes Sore throat, cough, asthma (www.hse.gov.uk/pubs/indg195.htm) Polyacrylate Female organ problems, slow wound healing, and weight loss to employees (Sanders, 2001) Water Bad taste Employees in Buckeye Mill (later) told to add powdered mix for flavor (Swasy,1993) Smell Health Effects of manufacturingPlastic and Paper

27. Pulp and Paper Mill Odors • Kraft Pulping • Process produces gaseous sulfur compounds • Sulfides, ammonia, other organic compounds • Smell=rotten eggs • EPA says odors are annoying but not a health concern • Odors vary depending on processing techniques, wind direction, temperature • Health Issues • When weather causes chemicals to become concentrated • Eye and breathing irritations • Headache and nausea • People with asthma may have asthma attacks (EPA says these are not health concerns…???) (www.dhfs.state.wi.us/eh/HlthHaz/fs/PulpOdors.htm,2000)

28. Dioxins • Dioxins • What are they? • Dioxin is a general term for hundreds of chemicals formed by burning chlorine based compounds with hydrocarbons (www.ejnet.org/dioxin, 2002) • What do they do? • They get into the air, then soil and water, and then our food chain • They attach and accumulate in our fat cells • Dioxin is passed onto our children • Through placenta, and breastfeeding • We have no defense because it is not metabolized in our bodies • It can cause serious health problems at parts per trillion (www.acereport.org,2003)

29. (www.ejnet.org/dioxin,2002)

30. Harmful Effects of Dioxin • Causes cancer • Disrupts hormones • May shrink penis size and sperm count • Miscarriage, reproductive disorders, birth defects, low birth weight • Learning disabilities • Short term memory and attention span • Damage to nervous and immune systems (www.acereport.org,2003)

31. The Buckeye Mill • A Procter & Gamble pulp mill in Perry, FL near the Fenholloway River • Effects on River • P&G purchased land in 1954, drained areas of river to plant trees • Began discharging 50 million gallons of discharge per day • In 1990, dioxin levels were 1900x the acceptable risk • Remains worst river in country • Wells and backyards contaminated • Shower water leaves film on skin • Female fish have developed male characteristics because the pollution causes hormone changes (Swasy, 1993)

32. The People of Perry • P&G shapes all aspects of life there • Segregation still exists; locals refer to African-Americans as “niggers” • Those who grew up drinking the water and eating food nourished by water now suffer from • Arthritis, short term memory loss, lung problems • Free bottled water is now provided by P&G • They depend on the P&G facility • P&G provides many jobs; many would go bankrupt without it • Company gets preferential treatment from local politicians and law enforcement • People won’t challenge the company • In 1990s, a few women who began exposing and challenging their practices were harassed; one even beaten and raped (Swasy, 1993)

33. Production of the Diaper

34. Manufacturing Process • A sheet of pulp is converted into fibers • The fibers are mixed with a super absorbent • A pad is formed, compressed and cut into individual pieces • Poly material is added at the bottom and nonwoven at the top • Hot melt is used to glue it all together • Elastomers are added for stretch in the waist and leg cuffs • Tapes are added and can be adhesive or mechanical (Velcro) • Individual diaper pieces are cut, inspected and stacked for sealing and boxing (www.giga.com/~cricher/carlos.html)

35. Diaper Making Machine (www.giga.com/~cricher/carlos.html)

36. The Finished Product

37. (Krafchik,2000)

38. Polyethylene: the outside,breathable, leakproof Polypropylene: against baby’s skin, keeps skin dry Polyurethane: elastic on cuffs Polyacrylate: Super Absorbent Polymers, absorb 30x their weight Cellulose: draws liquid into the center Glue: holds diaper together, made of resin and oil (Krafchik, 2000) Components of The Diaper

39. Kimberly-Clark • Tests on Animals • Low score, 57, on Human Rights Campaign 2002 • Rates policies on gay and transsexual employers, consumers, and investors • One of the companies responsible for hazardous waste at Chemsol federal superfund site in New Jersey (www.responsibleshopper.org) Picture: (www.thenewparentguide.com/shopping-disposable-diapers.htm)

40. Proctor & Gamble • Tests on Animals • Paid scientists to testify at FDA hearing on the fat substitute “Olestra” • Supports pollution secrecy legislation • Would provide immunity from environmental crimes if they are self reported • One of the companies that sued Massachusetts for preventing companies from doing business in Burma (www.responsibleshopper.org) Picture: (www.pg.com.hr/press/pictures/index.html)

41. Advertising • Commercials • Show features such as stretchy waistbands, more comfort, cartoon characters • Coupons • Sent by mail, in magazines • Free samples • By mail • In Hospitals • Given to 4 million newborns a year (Swasy, 1993)

42. Diesel Exhaust • Most diapers are distributed to our retail stores by diesel trucks • Walmart is connected to P&G by computer so diapers are replenished almost instantaneously (Swasy,1993) • What is diesel? • Diesel fuel is burned in the engine and soot and gases are released into the air • Soot consists of tiny particles that are inhaled into our lungs • Particles have cancer causing chemicals called Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons • Gases in diesel exhaust • Nitrous oxide, formaldehyde, sulfer dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, benzene (www.asfscme.com)

43. Accounts for 71% of cancer risk from toxic air contaminants The particles inhaled stay in your lungs for a long time which can lead to corroding cells and tumor growth The average infant in SF reaches the EPA’s acceptable lifetime limit for exposure to carcinogens by 19 days of life People who live closer to areas of high truck traffic get higher doses (www.greenaction.org) Harmful Effects of Diesel

44. Health Effects of Diesel on Workers • Those most likely to be exposed to diesel exhaust • Bridge, tunnel, loading dock workers • Auto mechanics • Truck drivers • Short term effects • Irritation of eyes, nose, throat • Lightheadedness, feeling high • Heartburn • Headache,vomiting • Chest tightness, wheezing • Long term effects • Has been linked to lung cancer • Workers more likely to have chronic respiratory problems, reduced lung capacity, bronchitis (www.afscme.org)

45. Harmful Effects of Wearing Diapers • Diaper Rash • Caused by allergies to chemicals, temperatures from wearing plastic, and less diaper changes because diaper is so absorbent it feels dry • Natural moisture along with urine is absorbed • Infertility in Males • Testicles may become hot from wearing diapers and may not develop normally (Sanders, 2001) • Toxic Shock Syndrome • In 1986, a 13 month old Missouri boy and NY girl both died allegedly from wearing Pamper’s diapers (Swasy, 1993) Picture:(www.askdrsears.com)

46. Toxic Shock Syndrome • TSS became famous in the early 80s when at least 42 women died from wearing P&G’s Rely tampon (pulled from market) • Symptoms • The tampons created a haven for bacteria which produced deadly toxins • High fever, sunburn like rash, vomiting • Victim’s skin peels off hands and feet • Lungs fill with fluid until suffocation, heart stops beating • Pamper’s Ultra Diaper introduced in 1986 • Immediately there were complaints of rashes, and beads (Super absorbent polymers turn into beads when wet) • Testing showed that carboxylmethyl cellulose that was used in the Rely tampons was in the diapers • P&G reformulated but there were still cases up to 1993 and 2 deaths • SAPs currently in diapers were also in the Rely tampons (Swasy,1993)

47. The Grave

48. Landfills • How much? • Diaper is the third largest consumer item in landfills • It equals 30% non-biodradable waste in landfills • 2% total municipal solid waste • Each baby contributes 1 ton of garbage (Sanders, 2001)

49. Decomposition • Some are up to 85% biodegradable • However, most are rolled into tight little balls and put in sealed landfills • Without air and water, it take about 500 years for the diaper to decompose • Can we compost them? • Plastic is non compostable • US has only 20 facilities that could do this composting • Many more would have to be built…NIMBY (Sanders, 2001) www.redamedia.com/bubbles/diaper.htm

50. Health Hazards • Human waste • The American Public Health Association advise that fecal matter should not be put in with the regular trash because it contaminates ground water and spreads disease • Parents should rinse out fecal matter in the toilet before throwing diaper away (doesn’t happen) • Five million tons of untreated human waste in landfills • There are approximately 100 intestinal viruses living on the feces • They could be carried by insects right back to us (Sanders,2001)