Diaper defect? 'The blisters started to bleed on him'
EUGENE, Ore - Are Pampers diapers causing chemical burns on babies? Thousands of parents think so, and now government officials are investigating their claims.
The diapers in questions are "Pampers Swaddlers" and "Pampers Cruisers."
In March, the company changed the product to include "Dry Max." Dry Max is a thinner and more absorbent material that replaced the paper pulp previously used. Pampers calls the change "new and improved" but some parents are calling it a nightmare.
Jenny Cooper of Eugene is one of those parents.
"I change my kid frequently," she said of her 2-year-old Paul. "The second he gets wet, he's changed."
Cooper has used Pampers on Paul since he was born. Recently, the company changed its Swaddlers and Cruisers to include "Dry Max."
Cooper told KVAL News that within about two days of using Dry Max diapers, her son developed a rash. "And then it started to get worse," she said. "It actually started to blister on him. And the blisters started to bleed on him."
Paul was in so much pain, he would fight his mom when she tried to change him. "There was a lot of screaming and crying and tears," said Cooper. "And he didn't want to sit down because his bum was really sore."
Cooper thought it might be a reaction to the diaper so she went online to find out more information. At one point, she went onto the Pampers Facebook page and found a link to another Facebook group called "Pampers bring back the OLD CRUISERS/SWADDLERS"
By 4 p.m. Monday, there were more than 6,500 members. The site includes numerous horror stories; tips from parents of how to cure the rash; and some very graphic pictures of irritated skin.
"I knew it wasn't just me anymore," said Cooper.
To be fair, KVAL News contacted Pampers by phone and by email. Company officials sent some video statements from company leaders and from doctors. They stand by their product, say it's safe, and argue there's no scientific evidence to prove any sort of rash or burn is being caused by Dry Max diapers.
"We have done everything we can possibly do to make sure this product is safe," said Jodi Allen, the General Manager of Pampers, North America. "I stand by it. It's an excellent product and I highly recommend it.'
"It's not new," said Dr. Susan Loiselle via video statement. She's the Instructor of Pediatrics at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York. "It's just put together in a different way. So it just doesn't make any rational sense that the diaper itself could be causing any kind of chemical burn. "
As for Jenny, she changed Paul into Huggies and said the problem has gone away. She told KVAL News she strongly believes her son's rash was directly connected to the diapers.
"There's something wrong with the diapers," she said. "I'd like to see a mass recall of all the Pampers Cruisers and any of the other affected products."
Cooper told KVAL News she called the company to complain on Friday of last week but says they didn't do much but take down her name. She called them again Monday morning and told them she was taking her story to the news. She said the company then quickly agreed to refund her money.
Cooper has also filed a complaint with the Consumer Product and Safety Commission.
Pampers corporate response
Physician statement from Pampers
