Government Finds No Evidence of Harm in Pampers Dry Max Diapers "Don't Be Anti-Diaper!"
Sound familiar? "No link. Crazy Mommies."
Agency finds no link between new Pampers, diaper rashes
08:35 AM CDT on Friday, September 3, 2010
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON – Government safety officials have not found a connection between a new kind of Pampers diaper and the severe skin reactions reported by some parents' groups. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday that it has reviewed 4,700 complaints, but found no specific cause linking Pampers diapers with new Dry Max technology to diaper rash.
"We hope that today's announcement will reassure the millions of moms and dads and child caregivers who place their trust in Pampers and Dry Max every day," Jodi Allen, vice president for Pampers, said in a statement. Procter & Gamble launched new versions of its Swaddlers and Cruisers diapers in the U.S. in March.
The thinner diapers use the company's Dry Max absorbent gel material to replace the paper pulp previously used. Parents' groups blamed the change for severe skin problems.
In May, the commission launched an investigation of Dry Max following complaints of babies and toddlers suffering severe diaper rashes and blisters that resemble chemical burns.
The agency said it reviewed the materials, construction, heat retention and moisture retention properties of the Dry Max diapers and found nothing specific about the diapers that causes rashes. The Associated Press
Here are some blogs and comments (click the blogs to read many more comments) directly from mothers who know what happened to their babies. Will they be labeled "anti-diaper?" Will scorn and ridicule rain down on them from quasi-corporate websites soon to pop up with names like, "DontDamperThePampers.com" or "YourBabyisTheDisposableOneYouMiserableMother.com" or "Youretoostupidtojudgeyourownbabysass.com"
http://dirtydiaperlaundry.com/pampers-new-dry-max-causing-severe-rashes/
My daughter developed a terribe rash after they changed all the pampers to dry max( you can not even buy any without their DRY MAX “technology”. I am very disappointed with pampers. I have 4 children and have used pampers on all of them. I can not believe they are ignoring the fact they are causing these babies all of this unnecessary suffering with these rashes. I did change brands and the rash has improved. I am a nurse, and I am certain it is from the pampers, as my daughter has never had a rash, and is 21 months old. Time to push the potty training. I am done with pampers. They had a great product that worked very well, and they had to go and screw it up.
http://forum.baby-gaga.com/about1142850.html
i dont care what ANYBODY says and i know this has been posted a million times but the new dry max DOES cause burns! maybe not on everyone who has tried them but my almost 8 month old son NEVER has had a rash, not ONCEand have used pampers since day 1. all of a sudden started getting bumps and bright red blisters ONLY after dry max started being used. even switched to a reg diaper - it went away - then tried a dry max overnight and already by the next morning bumps and red blisters again!
I am so glad to have found this web page. I was looking to see if other children had suffered similar rashes when using the Cool Alerts pull-ups. My 3 year old daughter wore only 2 of these diapers. She started screaming with pain when she urinated. When I took off her diaper, her private area was bright red and very sore. These diapers are going in the trash. Thank you for sharing your stories.
Posted by: Angi | February 19, 2011 at 09:54 PM
I have had problems using pants, which has given me rashes often. I mainly use normal all-in-one diapers, which more seldom give me rashes. I think that friction from the pants (which sit more freely) may contribute to irritate the skin such that one are more prone to rashes.
Posted by: Autistic Adult | September 08, 2010 at 08:15 AM
My NT son had that skin reaction with the Pampers when he was 2 years old, in 2008. It was those with the blue elastic sides. The rash started on both hips where the blue sides were contacting the skin, and elarged all the way down his lower back. Skin was red, then as the patches were enlarging the inside was dark purple, the edges red. Several inches accross, really huge patches going all around his waist. I wish I had taken a picture.
My son was prone to exzema, and diaper rashes from yeast and burning stool, but I had never seen anything like that. Out of luck, when this happened, I happened to mention it to a friend who immediately asked me: 'Are you using Pampers?' 'Yes' "Oh OK then that's what it is, we also had that problem and many of my friends had, too. Use Huggies and it will go away.' I personally had never heard any of this.
So, I changed to Huggies, and the problem disapeared. I have never seen that since then.
BTW, my son is not fully vaccinated, discontinued vaccinations at 9 months old.
Posted by: Karin | September 07, 2010 at 05:07 PM
Some of you posters are hilarious!! Love it!! Thanks for the laughs! I believe that word of mouth will be the one thing that changes the tide with bad diapers and with vaccines. Unfortunately many will have to try them on or witness the "blisters" first hand. However, people will take matters into their own hands and hopefully have enough sense to turn away, think for themselves and quit using a harmful product like pampers and vaccines. The are both full of sh*t!
Posted by: RN Mommy | September 07, 2010 at 02:59 PM
Listen Anti-Diaper conspiracy theorists,
Its all in your head! There is nothing wrong with the diapers and you just trying to find blame for your child's bad genes. The government safety officials have spoken. Don't be questioning the experts since you have no knowledge of Diapers. Just be glad that your child didn't go diaperless because I would not want my child catching your child's rash.
This is what it sounds like when they say it to us...... very interesting.
Posted by: Elucidatus | September 07, 2010 at 10:50 AM
Interesting links to information about TSS above. The NADS even mentions the similarity between the materials used in disposable diapers compared to the feminine products that caused hundreds of deaths in the late 70's/early 80's.
It never ceases to amaze me how short-sighted people are when money is involved; if you've seen it do harm before, why on earth would you use it? And especially with the most vulnerable of us all, babies?
Posted by: Michelle | September 07, 2010 at 02:30 AM
Someone (an adult) has actually done a skin-patch test with these.. Guess what he found? Yep, a possible small reaction (small presumably because he's an adult, not a 0-2 year-old child):
ZRecommends Initial Results of Our Pampers DryMax Skin Testing (http://www.zrecommends.com/detail/initial-results-of-our-pampers-dry-max-skin-testing-this-is-interesting/)
And of course, the word 'DiaperGate' has already appeared in the blogosphere. Yep, I added it to Wikipedia's "List of scandals with "-gate" suffix" page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_scandals_with_%22-gate%22_suffix). If anyone wants to start the actual page for DiaperGate, feel free to :)
Another blog post from Poly Palumbo (Ph.D.) about this:
The Dry Max Diaper and The Poop from Pampers: DiaperGate Continues (http://mommadata.blogspot.com/2010/06/dry-max-diaper-and-poop-from-pampers.html)
Posted by: Jim Witte | September 07, 2010 at 01:09 AM
Nonnymouse,
Very well written, informative, illuminating, compelling article.
Thanks for the link!
Posted by: michael framson | September 06, 2010 at 07:15 PM
"YourBabyisTheDisposableOneYouMiserableMother.com" or "Youretoostupidtojudgeyourownbabysass.com"
This is funny and not so funny at the same time. This is what happens with our good ol' American industries that use toxic chemicals of all kinds without any safety testing, and then when it proves to be toxic to children, "Just a Coincidence" or "You imagined this" they respond, whether it's vaccines or diapers.
"...complaints of babies and toddlers suffering severe diaper rashes and blisters that resemble chemical burns."
Here are a few of many online comments regarding Huggies Pullups Cool Alerts which have some kind of CHEMICAL in them which reacts to urine to create a "cool" feeling which is not so cool since it is causing all kinds of serious rashes and allergic reactions. This is supposedly a method to motivate children to potty train....by torturing children with extreme burning and pain so they will go on the toilet to escape from wearing the diapers???!!!
"I'm glad this website is here because I was trying to figure out what gave my son this horrible, I mean truly horrible rash all over, he is very allegic to these cool alerts and he broke out all over, started on pubic area but spread under arms, swelled up hands and feet, went to the doctor in a panic but we were not sure what sparked the reaction, after reading your board I think it may be your diapers, you may want to pull these from the shelves!!!"
"My 2.5 year old daughter is having bad reactions to the pull ups. She is showing signs of a bad rash and will not let me near it to put medicine on. She continues to scream and cry if I try to get near her privates."
"My 2 year old son also broke out in a rash like the one that you described. Has anyone gotten back to you to let you know what it could be from or how to get rid of it? I have tried diaper rash cream and it doesn't seem to be working. It hurts him a lot and he doesn't want to go potty now because it burns so badly."
"My daughter is 2 years old and has been wearing pull-ups for awhile now. She is still learning to go on the potty. She loves feeling like a big girl. However, since the new design change [Cool Alerts], my daughter also has broke out in a horrible rash with blisters all over. I had to stop using the pull-ups. I am very disappointed because I loved the pull-ups as did she with the princess design. Now, I have a whole case of pull-ups that she cannot wear!!!"
"My grandaughter developed a chemical burn on her privates after only wearing two cool alert pull ups. Was wondering if anyone else has experienced this reaction."
"The fact that this message was pulled says a lot! My son, too has had a bad experience with these..he had severe diaper rash while wearing it and even had blisters break out on his skin! It was so bad after only a few minutes of wearing it that he could barely walk!"
"I know this will be pulled, too...apparently the company only likes it when you rave about the product and doesn't want anyone to know of any negative feed back...I however, will be posting everywhere I can to get the word out until this product is PULLED FROM THE SHELVES!!!"
BTW my grandson developed the most horrific diaper rash after his latch batch of vaccines where his urine and poop was so ACIDIC that it was literally eating his skin away. We used a ton of Desitin ointment (cream doesn't cut it)and switched to the Whole Foods store brand "365" which was chlorine free and perfume/fragrance free. Ended up costing the same as regular diapers that he could no longer tolerate. We were told by his pediatrician which my daughter promptly fired that the vaccines didn't cause any of his problems, certainly not autism either. I called the next day after the vaccines and when he said it was "just a coincidence" I replied "Oh BULLSHIT".
Posted by: Autism Grandma | September 06, 2010 at 05:27 PM
Who remembers toxic shock syndrome which was associated with the use of tampons with increased absorbency, most notably Proctor and Gamble's Rely tampons?
Here's how the CDC responded 30 years ago, before its merger with Pharma - even using the word "epidemic."
"In January 1980, epidemiologists in Wisconsin and Minnesota reported the appearance of TSS, mostly in menstruating women, to the CDC.[13] S. aureus was successfully cultured from most of the women. A CDC task force investigated the epidemic as the number of reported cases rose throughout the summer of 1980, accompanied by widespread publicity. In September 1980, the CDC reported that users of Rely were at increased risk for developing TSS.[14]
On September 22, 1980, Procter and Gamble recalled Rely[15] following release of the CDC report...By the end of 1980, the number of TSS cases reported to the CDC began to decline...942 women were diagnosed with tampon-related TSS in the USA from March 1980 to March 1981, 40 of whom died."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic_shock_syndrome
Posted by: pass the popcorn | September 06, 2010 at 09:10 AM
This question of serious rashes because of a change (in chemistry, or in construction) by Pampers is one of those instances where both 'sides' are right.
Of course, there wouldn't be 'sides' if Procter & Gamble had more brains.
The side which says "this new product causes SERIOUS diaper rash" is correct.
But P&G, which says, "We haven't changed the chemistry" -- they are right about that.
What they have done is change the construction, the architecture, if you will.
Here is a website which took a serious interest, over months, and actually did their own science regarding the Dry Max question:
http://www.zrecommends.com/detail/a-warning-about-pampers-dry-max-diapers
And the results of the experiments that they did, the final report on their testing: http://www.scribd.com/doc/34093422/Measurement-of-Skin-Irritation-of-Pampers-DryMax
They propose 5 possibilities for why this "chemical burn" type thing is happening:
1) The Missing Mesh Liner
2) The Hot-Melt Adhesive
3) Fragrances
4) Acrylic Acid
5) Excessive Dryness
Posted by: Nonnymouse | September 06, 2010 at 01:08 AM
I borrowed 1 dry max diaper while out for my son. My son then got his one and only diaper rash in his almost 10 months. That is enough evidence for me.
Posted by: Melissa | September 06, 2010 at 12:18 AM
Once again ... Parents are making crazy stuff up like chemical burns on bottoms.
P&G supplies the goverment with many staple supplies for our military.. of course at a discounted rate but with wonderful tax breaks for P&G.
Posted by: Kim | September 05, 2010 at 11:11 PM
Here's a question: how many of the babies with chemical burns from the Pampers Dry-Max ALSO had recent vaccines?????
Or were any of those babies unvaccinated?
Is anybody going to bother to find out?
Posted by: Taximom | September 05, 2010 at 09:24 PM
Oh, Maurine, Maurine, Maurine. You are way too funny! Thanks for the laugh.
Posted by: Not an MD | September 05, 2010 at 08:20 PM
Maurine... OMG, LMFAO.
I just had a happy thought that involved his mercury laden Alzheimer's brain landing his ass in a nursing home, and it being swaddled with "dry max" technology. love it!
I BET they will go back to the old diapers secretly, and not tell anyone, just wait for it.....
Posted by: Jenny Webster | September 05, 2010 at 07:37 PM
"I suggest that the executives at the company wear pampers for the day as an experiment"
And then post pictures - maybe even a YouTube video!
Posted by: Jim Witte | September 05, 2010 at 07:12 PM
"I could put on 100,000 Dry Max Diapers at the same time and not have a red butt, but I'd still be the dumbest ass in all of Pennsylvania."
Posted by: Maurine Meleck | September 05, 2010 at 05:25 PM
Dr. Nancy is not availble until Tuesday to calm fears about the diaper rash problems.
It is obviously a "new genetic disease" and one should not confuse "causal with coincidence." with Pamper rash...
Posted by: cmo | September 05, 2010 at 04:52 PM
Pampers: One pack = One Vaccine
"In North America, through the “One Pack = One Vaccine” campaigns in 2008 and 2009, Pampers provided funding for over 75 million vaccines. This makes the Pampers campaign the largest of its kind ever executed by a brand in the U.S. and Canada to benefit UNICEF (and one of UNICEF’s biggest cause-related marketing campaigns worldwide)."
Can't see the CDC, FDA criticizing this product.
Posted by: sarah | September 05, 2010 at 01:14 PM
haha - "youretoostupidtojudgeyourownbabysass.com" - that's a good one!
All of these reports are just ANECDOTAL! These parents should be completely ignored until they band together, get some degrees in science and medicine, and combine their life savings to fund a study published in a peer-reviewed journal. This may take ten years or more -- in the meantime they should just keep using these diapers because whatever rash they think they see is obviously in their own minds and, as others have pointed out, the result of beining influenced by anti-diaper web sites.
Posted by: Twyla | September 05, 2010 at 01:07 PM
JenB "I suppose it would be too much to ask the CPSC to compare populations of Pampers users with non-Pampers users."
They'd probably argue it would be unethical to deprive some children of Pampers. Even if they were provided with tens of thousands of names of parents who have never used Pampers (like me).
Posted by: Kristina | September 05, 2010 at 01:04 PM
"Youretoostupidtojudgeyourownbabysass.com" Love it! Lol. That's funny, I thought the same thing when I read the Pampers press release. It's all in the mothers' heads. Trust the government. Yea, right.
I've never used Pampers in my life, so I have no stake in this, but I just have to shake my head at this one.
Posted by: Kristina | September 05, 2010 at 12:56 PM
I suggest that the executives at the company wear pampers for the day as an experiment to see what happens to their bums. Now, that would be a great test since parents are certainly too dumb to know what they are seeing.
Posted by: Laureen | September 05, 2010 at 12:47 PM
I suppose it would be too much to ask the CPSC to compare populations of Pampers users with non-Pampers users.
Posted by: JenB | September 05, 2010 at 11:18 AM
Bensmyson, your post is a hoot!
We're no longer in the diaper phase, but I switched from those previous generation absorbent gel diapers because my daughter got diaper rash. Too much damp heat? (Also they're bad for the environment.)
We went to the all cotton disposable kind because water is a scarce resource here and, let's face it, they were more convenient. They worked fine.
Posted by: Carol | September 05, 2010 at 10:47 AM
Can't rely on the gov't period. They're only interested in protecting corporate interests. The consumer has to take back control. Looking back my son had a rash from hell when he was a baby and I never linked it to diapers...Years ago my mom used Dy-dee diaper service..exchanging soiled diapers for fresh, clean cloth diapers.. maybe it's time to go back to the good old days. Here's a link if anyone's interested: http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/diaper_services_usa_canada.htm
Posted by: Sarah | September 05, 2010 at 10:39 AM
I don't know anything about the Dry Max system, but my dd got a horrible, horrible rash from Pampers over 10 years ago. I called the company to find out what ingredients were in the diaper that might be causing her to have such a terrible reaction. The response I got: Coupons to buy more Pampers at a discount. Needless to say, I didn't use the coupons. Nor did I buy any more Pampers.
In this case, most parents are likely to trust their own observations of their own baby over any study. Perhaps this will help a few of them understand why "studies" are not always trustworthy, or specifically relevant to one's own child.
Posted by: Sue | September 05, 2010 at 10:33 AM
Parents are just so clueless. They shouldn't trust their so called "instincts." They can't trust their vision - what they say they "saw" does not square up with "science." They shouldn't listen to any friends or family members witness accounts either and shouldn't believe blogs especially - my God that's the internet you can't trust what's out there!
Only doctors and scientists know things. Only THEY can be trusted.
Posted by: Speaking of Poo... | September 05, 2010 at 09:47 AM
PS
A parent should be allowed to go back each and every time if they wish and get separate vaccines too.
But that was denied me, and I was forced to buy the product (DPT) shot after me knowing after several there was a big, bad problem
Posted by: Benedetta | September 05, 2010 at 09:44 AM
Weeelll one thing for sure, no body is being forced to buy them.
So when the government???? Did I read that right - is the government involved in saying if a certian type of diaper does not cause a rash???
Spoooookkky right there, for nothing else!
How it is suppose to work is the consumer notices (not the government) there is a problem and they buy another type! OR they go to cloth diapers - oh the horror! But guess what, a parent would in a blink of an eye! I know I did when my daughter had diaper rash really bad.
Posted by: Benedetta | September 05, 2010 at 09:41 AM
Kim, I can only imagine it was you who picked the knee-slappingly funny names for the quasi-corporate websites listed above. They are so dead-on appropriate. If I ever see you at an event again, I must treat you to you a drink. I owe you at least one for your incredibly biting sense of humor.
As for Pampers, if they do not do right by their millions of customers they will destroy their entire diaper empire. As the rashes are confined to the diaper area and resemble chemical burns in some cases, Pampers stands to lose all credibility in a court of law (not to mention the government agency declaring them safe). I used Pampers for my children as Huggies caused their bottoms to break out in classical diaper rash (although, granted, not anywhere as severely as the the Dry Max apparently does). Where do the "Dry Max" chemicals come from -- China? 'Nuff said.
Posted by: Not an MD | September 05, 2010 at 09:39 AM
Let's not jump to conclusions, folks. Babies have always had red-hot blistering rashes and chemical burns on their rear ends. What we are seeing now is simply the effect of increased awareness and better diagnosing.
Posted by: Donna L. | September 05, 2010 at 09:33 AM
If I wasn't scared of having an FBI agent knock on my door I'd post a picture taken this summer of Ben's rash.
I'm not anti-diapers, just advocating for safer diapers.
Ask me where my science is that the diapers caused this seriously grotesque skin rash and all I can say is I witnessed it myself. Put the diapers on, Ben was scooting on the floor, complaining of itching, took the diaper off and red blazing glory, a rash from hell.
Must be genetic or something caused by reading the internet anti-diaper blogs.
Anyway glad to hear it's not the product.
"We hope that today's announcement will reassure the millions of moms and dads and child caregivers who place their trust in Pampers and Dry Max every day," Jodi Allen, vice president for Pampers
Just in time for poo season, whew!
Posted by: bensmyson | September 05, 2010 at 09:09 AM