Dispute Over Bacteria Dangers of Disposable Diapers Lingers

A study commissioned by the diaper service industry suggests that disposable diapers may harbor bacteria that cause polio, meningitis and hepatitis.

Not so, says T. Scott Stewart, chief spokesman for Procter & Gamble, a major manufacturer of disposable diapers.

Stewart says the National Assn. of Diaper Services paid $15,000 for that study and it has been discredited. Nonetheless, the suggestion continues to crop up in news stories about the great diaper wars.

Environmentalist Jeanne Wirka claims that the report has not been discredited and research is continuing.

However, Stewart has on his side the fact that there is no evidence that any case of polio, hepatitis or meningitis was ever caused by disposable diapers, and some European countries have been using them for 50 years.

He also says there is 1,000 times more pet fecal matter entombed in landfills than infant leavings on the disposable diaper.