BUSI600 RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2
Topic of Interest
A topic that I am interested in researching is the safety of contact exposure to elemental
chlorine-free bleached pulp in diapers. This is of specific interest to me because the plant that I
work at produces pulp for diapers, and I have seen videos recently claiming negative long-term
health effects of exposure, so I am curious if these claims are valid.
Problem Statement
Elemental chlorine-free (ECF) pulp bleaching, which is done through a reaction with
chlorine dioxide (ClO2), is suspected to leave behind trace levels of dioxins in the final product
that have a negative impact on the health and safety of customers, while totally chlorine free
bleached pulp is less efficient through production but safer. The management–research question
hierarchy will need to begin with “Why are these claims being made” and move to “What
resources will we collect data from” then “What forms of analysis are appropriate to compare
bleaching methods and their consequences.”
Research Question
One early research question to address would be to decide, “Is secondary research
acceptable to confirm or dismiss these claims?”. This is important to ensure the validity of using
previously conducted research to make a decision. Additionally, the research question will need
to explore “Is there validity that totally chlorine-free pulping is significantly safer than elemental
chlorine-free bleaching?”
Annotated Bibliography
Axegord, P. (2019, July 17). The effect of the transition from elemental chlorine bleaching to
chlorine dioxide bleaching in the pulp industry on the formation of PCDD/FS.
Chemosphere. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653519316078
This article helps to understand some history of pulp bleaching. The development
and requirement of ECF bleaching as opposed to bleaching with elemental
BUSI600 RESEARCH PROPOSAL 3
chlorine was a development as recent as the late 80’s. There are many people who
can still remember the harshness of bleaching with chlorine bleaching. The article
also details scientific research on the formation of dioxins in chlorine and ECF
bleaching. The data can be used to compare with TCF bleaching studies.
Bernard, A. (2022, March 31). Dermal exposure to hazardous chemicals in baby diapers: A re-
evaluation of the quantitative health risk assessment conducted by the French Agency for
food, environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES). International journal
of environmental research and public health.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8998495/
This is a research article done by ANSES, a french agency for good,
environmental, and occupational health. This article does a detailed experiment on
the amount of dioxins that children who use ECF diapers are exposed to. The
experimental procedure and the process of analysis are explained in extensive
detail, which is useful in the understanding of results. What is found is that there
is very minimal exposure to dioxins from the use of ECF diapers. One interesting
fact presented is that babies who are breastfed are exposed to over 6 times the
amount of dioxins as those who are presented from contact exposure with diapers.
Chlorine Dioxide Health & Safety - Occidental petroleum. oxy.com. (2022, May).
https://www.oxy.com/siteassets/documents/chemicals/products/other-essentials/Chlorine-
Dioxide-Health-and-Safety.pdf
This article explains the dangers of ClO2. It is a safety data sheet for chlorine
dioxide. The reason that this is useful is because it details some of the dangers that
are associated with exposure to ClO2 gas. There is a possibility that a known risk
of the toxicity of ClO2 could lead to the fear of using it to bleach pulp used for
diapers. The SDS, however, details the levels at which ClO2 is toxic to human
health, and they are much higher than any concentration found in a consumer
product. Nevertheless, it is helpful to understand the dangers of the chemicals that
are used.
Comparison of the methods for bleaching chemical pulp. ECF versus TCF ... Nouryon.com.
(n.d.). https://www.nouryon.com/globalassets/inriver/resources/production -methods-
cellulose- pulp-ecf-versus-tcf-global-en_us.pdf
This is a learning guide produced by Nouryon. Nouryon serves many markets,
one of which is the pulp and paper industry. They are involved in the design,
installation, and maintenance of plants that produce bleaching chemicals. Any
pulp mill that bleaches, whether TCF or ECF, produces the chemicals used in the
bleaching process on sight. One reason for this is to cut transportation costs by
shipping a concentrated reactant instead of the diluted solution. Additionally, there
is increased safety with the reduction of transportation and handling of potentially
hazardous gases. The less will help to explain fundamental differences in TCF and
ECF bleaching.
BUSI600 RESEARCH PROPOSAL 4
Counts, J., Weisbrod, A., & Yin, S. (2017). Common diaper ingredient questions: Modern
disposable ... - sage journals. sagepub.com.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0009922817706998
This article was posted in a journal on clinical pediatrics. It provides a thorough
discussion of the anatomy of a diaper and a description of all the different pieces.
Additionally, it provides a defense of each of the elements of a diaper, speaking to
their safety. One of the elements they discuss is the pulp which is the topic of
discussion. A great explanation is made on the safety of ECF pulp. A particularly
intriguing case for the safety of ClO2 bleaching is brought up with the fact that
ClO2 is used in many municipal water complexes to treat water. This is because,
at low levels, exposure to ClO2 is completely safe.
Everylife’s ECF pulp. EveryLife. (n.d.). https://everylife.com/pages/everylife-s-ecf-pulp
This source is a company’s statement on why they would use ECF over TCF in
their production of diapers. It is interesting to hear the perspective of a producer
of diapers and why they would choose one over the other. In the statement, there
are a couple of common places of misinformation that are addressed and
corrected. One of these is that dangerous chemicals are added to diapers. Another
is the difference in environmental impact of the production of ECF and TCF
diapers. One interesting fact presented is that the dioxin levels in ECF diapers are
similar to that of cloth diapers, which will be interesting to include in the research
on the validity of the claims.
Makoś-Chełstowska , P., Kurowska-Susdorf, A., & Płotka-Wasylka, J. (2021, August 6).
Environmental problems and health risks with disposable baby diapers: Monitoring of
toxic compounds by application of analytical techniques and need of Education. TrAC
Trends in Analytical Chemistry.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165993621002314
This report details the health risks associated with baby diapers. The article does
go in-depth on the health risks associated with each part of the diaper, even
though the focus of the study would only be on the pulp inside the diaper’s core.
There were multiple experiments run that will be collected as secondary data
sources in the study. Additionally, there are many useful definitions in the article
that can clear any confusion for readers outside of the industry that should be
implemented into any report from the study. One thing missing from the article is
a study on TCF-bleached diapers. This would be helpful to compare with the ECF
diapers under the same analytical scope.
Prashant Rai, Byung-Mu Lee, Tsung-Yun Liu, Qin Yuhui, Edburga Krause, Daniel S. Marsman
& Susan Felter (2009) Safety Evaluation of Disposable Baby Diapers Using Principles of
Quantitative Risk Assessment, Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A,
72:21-22, 1262-1271, DOI: 10.1080/15287390903212246
This is another article that is researching the amount of exposure that a baby has
BUSI600 RESEARCH PROPOSAL 5
the possibility to be exposed to from wearing a diaper. One thing that is different
is that this research used a reflux index. The reflux index accounted not only for
the total amount of dioxins in the diaper but for the amount of liquid that escapes
the core of the diaper and leaks back. This is when a child in diapers would
actually be exposed to anything that is in the core. The value that is assumed is
highly conservative and, therefore, could overestimate the amount of exposure. It
will be interesting to include a reflux factor in the research on the validity of the
claims of negative health effects. The article also details research on other parts of
the diaper, which will not be used in research on the danger/safety of ECF pulp.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Dioxins. National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents
/dioxins/index.cfm
This article by the USDHHS details some of the sources and health risks of
dioxins. The explanation of the health risks associated with dioxins could serve to
identify where the fear of ECF diapers could have stemmed from. There are
definitely health risks that have been associated with dioxin exposure, and they
are documented here. However, one thing that the article explains is where most
of the dioxins a person is exposed to come from. This is useful in deciding if it is
truly a problem with the ECF pulping process that is creating the health issues.
The consumption of dioxins in the food supply is another moderating variable
when studying the long-term health effects of exposure to ECF pulp.
Vernai, V. (2021, December 8). Guidance on information requirements and chemical safety ... -
ECHA. echa.europa.eu.
https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/13632/information_requirements_part_e_en.pdf/
1da6cadd-895a-46f0-884b-00307c0438fd
This is another study that is done into the long-term health effects of diapers by
the European Chemicals Agency. It is a risk assessment of the substances in
single-use baby diapers. The study was done to prove that proposed restrictions
on single-use diapers are not necessary. In summary, what is found is that there is
no evidence that switching to TCF diapers from ECF diapers will result in any
significant reduction in exposure to dioxins. The data that was collected and
analyzed is documented and explained very well. One thing that is included in this
study, as opposed to others, is the cost of TCF vs. ECF. The economic impact of
misinformation will be important to include in the research on the topic of the
validity of the claims.
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