1 Dept of Pediatrics, Boston City Hospital, The Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
2 The Boston University School of Public Health
The solid waste crisis is currently receiving extensive publicity in the lay press and increasing attention from the government (Newsweek. November 27, 1989:76; Council for Solid Waste Solutions, Washington, DC, unpublished data).1-3 The United States has the highest per capita rate of solid waste production among industrialized nations, more than three pounds per person each day, resulting in 160 million tons of solid waste each year (Newsweek. November 27, 1989). Disposable diapers contribute significantly to this problem and have, in fact, become a symbol of the solid waste crisis.4-6
Marketing surveys estimate that 80% of infants in the United States use disposable diapers.7,8
Submitted on May 18, 1990