Is PUL harmful?

[SkyMomma]

Has anyone heard about PUL being toxic? I saw this mentioned on a website (which I can no longer find ). I was considering making my own pocket diapes with PUL, but now I'm concerned. Has anyone heard anything negative about this fabric? I know that it's not bio-degradable, but have you heard of any reason I wouldn't want to put it on my baby?

Thanks wise & knowledable mamas!

[Drummer's Wife]

huh, well it's gotta be better for baby than disposable diapers and is safer than vinyl covers like my mom used.

it's not as breathable as wool or fleece, and some babies are sensitive to PUL when it rubs up on their skin.

[Llyra]

I'll admit, that with all the concerns about the safety of plastics, I've been kind of worried about this, to the point that I avoid using our PUL covers and opt for wool whenever I can. I would love to see some hard information about this. But I agree-- it's gotta be better than sposies or vinyl. But I'm starting to doubt the safety of all synthetics and plastics around babies. Well, for that matter, around all of us.

[Galatea]

I don't know of any of the issues, but it is unlikely that a baby would put a cover in their mouth, and usually only the lycra binding is touching their skin b/c the cover has the cotton diaper underneath most of it. IMO, there are so many other ways that we get plastics and other chemicals in us, that PUL covers are probably only a teeny tiny fraction of our exposure. I mean, babies are BORN with teflon in their cord blood and PCBs are in our milk... how bad can a cover be?

Also, many of the cover manufacturers like Bummis and Thirsties specify that their products are free of lead, phthalates, PVC.

[Jayray]

I am a polymer chemist and I would not worry too much about it. Most of what I have read on the internet are people that misunderstand the difference between PUL and the ingredients that go into making PUL. They post the health information for the ingredients which sound kind of scary (but are also usually written for factory workers dealing with TONS of the stuff), but not the end product (the PUL).

I have heard about urethane foams off-gassing, but knowing the bit I know about how foams are manufactured versus films, I think the PUL probably does not.

[SkyMomma]

Thanks mamas! I keep thinking that I should just bypass the whole plastic issue completely & go to wool...but I haven't had a lot of luck with the 2 covers DS2 has recently outgrown (my own fault - I just couldn't get into the rthym of handwashing & lanolizing). Oh well.