• Login
    • Join
  • Subscribe Free
    • Magazine
    • eNewsletter
    Checkout
    • Magazine
    • News
    • Exclusives
    • Applications
    • Technology
    • Market
    • Other
    • Top 40
    • Buyers Guide
    • Hygiene Directory
    • More
  • Magazine
  • News
  • Exclusives
  • Applications
  • Technology
  • Market
  • Other
  • Top 40
  • Buyers Guide
  • Hygiene Directory
  • Current / Back Issues
    Features
    Editorial
    Columns
    Digital Edition
    Southeast Asia Edition
    eNewsletter Archive
    Editorial Guidelines
    Subscribe Now
    Advertise Now
    Top Features
    The Face Mask Market—Three Years Later

    Spunlace Nonwovens A New Normal

    Innovation Shines in Personal Care Wipes

    Paltrow, Cuban Invest in Kudos

    Who’s Who in Baby Diaper Machinery
    Company Cameo
    Financial News
    Machinery Equipment
    New Products
    Nonwovens News
    Patent Review
    People in the News
    Supplier News
    Top News
    Live From Shows
    Top News
    Qvin Menstrual Blood Diagnostic Device Receives FDA Approval in Thailand

    Andritz, KCF Technologies Form Agreement

    Freudenberg e-Power Systems, LG Energy Solution Announce Partnership

    Berry Global CEO to Retire

    ITA Holding Acquires Taiprora
    Nonwovens Insights
    Online Exclusives
    Adult Incontinence
    Absorbent Core
    Antimicrobials
    Apparel
    Automotive and Transportation
    Face Masks
    Chemicals / Adhesives
    Construction
    Contract Services
    Diaper, Baby
    Electronics
    Feminine Hygiene
    Fibers
    Filtration
    Flame Retardance
    Geotextile / Agrotextile
    Home Products
    Hygiene Film/Components
    Industrial / Institutional
    Inspection / Quality Control
    Machinery and Equipment
    Medical
    Wipes

    Andritz, KCF Technologies Form Agreement

    Freudenberg e-Power Systems, LG Energy Solution Announce Partnership

    ITA Holding Acquires Taiprora

    K-C Requests Huggies-Related Lawsuit to be Thrown Out

    WPT Nonwovens to Add Thermobonding Line in Kentucky
    Air Through Bonding
    Airlaid
    Carded/Carding
    Chemical Bonded
    Composite
    Meltblown
    Needlepunch
    Nanotechnology
    Spunbond
    Spunbond/Spunmelt
    Spunlace
    Thermal Bonded
    Wetlaid

    WPT Nonwovens to Add Thermobonding Line in Kentucky

    Spunlace Nonwovens A New Normal

    Suominen Considers Closure of Mozzate Plant

    Saudi German Nonwovens to Expand Spunmelt Output

    Avgol to Add Recofil 5 Nonwovens Line in North Carolina
    China
    Eastern Europe/Russia
    India
    Middle East/North Africa
    North America
    Pacific Rim
    South/Central America
    Turkey
    Western Europe

    WPT Nonwovens to Add Thermobonding Line in Kentucky

    Manjushree Spntek

    Suominen Considers Closure of Mozzate Plant

    Autoneum to Acquire Automotive Business of Borgers Group

    Vinda Opens SEA Regional Hub
    Associations
    Contracts / Awards
    Education
    Facilities / Capacity
    Green / Sustainability
    Legal / Regulatory
    Market Data
    Flushability
    Mergers and Acquisitions
    Product Improvement / Innovation
    R&D/Basic Research
    Shows / Events

    WPT Nonwovens to Add Thermobonding Line in Kentucky

    FiltXPO to be Held in October

    Sabic Reaffirms Commitment to the Circular Economy

    Harper Hygienics Converts to Renewable Energy

    Voith Acquires Stake in Packaging Start-up Yangi
    Chart
    Companies
    All Companies
    Categories
    Company Profiles
    Add New Company
    International Buyers Guide Companies
    ELSNER

    Investkonsult Sweden AB

    Alliance Machine and Engraving

    Teijin Frontier Co., Ltd.

    Valco Melton
    Brands
    Brand Owners
    • Magazine
      • Current / Back Issues
      • Features
      • Editorial
      • Columns
      • Digital Edition
      • Southeast Asia Edition
      • eNewsletter Archive
      • Editorial Guidelines
      • Subscribe Now
      • Advertise Now
    • Breaking News
    • Buyers Guide
      • All Companies
      • Categories
      • Company Profiles
      • Add Your Company
    • Applications
      • Absorbent Core
      • Adult Incontinence
      • Antimicrobials
      • Apparel
      • Automotive and Transportation
      • Chemicals / Adhesives
      • Construction
      • Contract Services
      • Diaper, Baby
      • Electronics
      • Feminine Hygiene
      • Fibers
      • Filtration
      • Flame Retardance
      • Geotextile / Agrotextile
      • Home Products
      • Hygiene Film/Components
      • Industrial / Institutional
      • Inspection / Quality Control
      • Machinery and Equipment
      • Medical
      • Wipes
      • Face Masks
    • Technology
      • Air Through Bonding
      • Airlaid
      • Carded/Carding
      • Chemical Bonded
      • Composite
      • Meltblown
      • Needlepunch
      • Nanotechnology
      • Spunbond
      • Spunlace
      • Thermal Bonded
      • Wetlaid
      • Spunbond/Spunmelt
    • Market
      • China
      • Eastern Europe/Russia
      • India
      • Middle East/North Africa
      • North America
      • Pacific Rim
      • South/Central America
      • Turkey
      • Western Europe
    • Other
      • Associations
      • Contracts / Awards
      • Education
      • Facilities / Capacity
      • Green / Sustainability
      • Legal / Regulatory
      • Market Data
      • Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Product Improvement / Innovation
      • R&D/Basic Research
      • Shows / Events
      • Flushability
    • Top 40 Companies
      • Chart
      • Companies
    • Online Exclusives
    • Slideshows
    • Hygiene Directory
      • Brands
      • Brand Owners
    • Experts Opinions
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Infographics
    • Whitepapers
    • Events
      • Industry Events
      • Live From Show Events
      • Webinars
      • Live From Asian Connections
    • Jobs
    • Resources
      • Suppliers Gallery
      • Literature Showcase
      • Web Showcase
      • Home Page Showcase
    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Use
    Expert's Opinion

    Code Brown and the Paradox of the Swim Pant

    Can swim diapers keep feces out of the pool?

    Carlos Richer, Richer Consulting08.03.15
    Since the introduction of Huggies Little Swimmers in the U.S., back in 1997, swim pants have grown so much in sales that you can find them today on every supermarket shelf.  Today, they are not only offered by the large national brands (like Kimbelry-Clark and Procter & Gamble) but also by the most important private label brands, both in mature and developing markets, from the U.S. to Japan and all Continents in between.

    Diapers are designed to absorb urine and store feces, with one simple objective in mind: to keep both away from clothes and furniture, while the baby is kept as dry and comfortable as it is technically possible. Well, at least until the diaper is changed.  Swim diapers, on the other hand, have an additional function, which is to make sure they do not have any leaks in the swimming pool, especially while the diaper is immersed under water. This is the new challenge and this is also their biggest problem.

    When a person is using a diaper, there is the implicit assumption that the user has some kind of incontinence—this could be urinary or fecal.  There is no other explanation to justify the need to use a diaper.  This is precisely where swim pants have created an important perceptual problem and, perhaps without intention. They have created a dilemma to public swimming pool administrators. Between those who define the pool rules and those parents who want to take their babies into the public swimming pools, with the “technical” argument that the baby is using a specially made “swim pant.”

    If we read the claims on most swim pant bags, you would get the false impression that swim pants are perfectly safe for the swimming pool. Reading some of the claims, it is easy to reach the wrong conclusion. “For worry-free water play” one brand claims; for “a safe and carefree experience in the water” another brand says. Basically, all swim pant products mention these kinds of benefits, but none mention any health risks, particularly while using them in public swimming pools—and those risks are not minor.

    Keeping urine and feces inside a diaper is not an impossible task—in fact many modern premium pants can achieve this goal by keeping the baby without any leakages nearly 98.5% of the time.  A disposable diaper or pant that could claim 100% leak-free performance would be just too expensive to sell, as it would need to be grossly overdesigned in order to avoid any potential leaks.  If swim pants worked as well as disposable pants, maybe people would not need to raise the alarm, but, unfortunately, baby pants are not as effective when they are under water.



    Swim diaper sales have growth significantly over the past two decades but are they keeping poop out of the pool?


    Swim diaper sales have grown steadily during the past 20 years, but are they safely keeping feces out of the pool?
    Not long ago, it was common to see babies who were fully potty-trained before the age of two. Today most babies do not even start potty training until they are 30 months or older, thanks in part to the increased performance of disposables. When diapers are dry and comfortable, it will take the baby to potty train. This is not always the case, but it is happening to most babies everywhere. This lengthened training time in potty train age has increased the number of babies who have not been potty-trained ending up in a public swimming pool.

    Leaking urine into a public swimming pool is undesirable, but it is not really the biggest health concern.  Urine is normally sterile of bacteria—unless there is a virus illness present. Feces on the other hand, have a very high bacterial content, sometimes as much as 50% by weight. I have read that the transmission of Shigella, STEC, Hepatitis A and E are all well known to appear in feces.  Even when water is treated with chemicals, which may reduce the risk of contamination, unless the chemicals are at a high enough concentration to kill bacteria at contact, or the pump had a chance to move the whole volume of water through the UV lamps, the risk is very real.

    What is Code Brown? In swimming pool lingo, this refers to an emergency that occurs whenever there is a presence of feces in the water.  A person needs to defecate in the pool to produce said Code Brown. For instance, people with diarrhea are a common case and for this reason should always avoid swimming. A baby that has not been potty trained, wearing a swim pant, is the obvious alternative.  Based on what I have seen, swim pants are unable to protect from the potential leakage of feces into the pool. You would need to be wearing a scuba diving swimsuit to achieve such a level of seal to avoid any water coming in or out of the suit while under water.  Feces and water in the presence of friction do not mix well, a small friction is all is needed to dissolve feces under water; a baby playing in the pool with a swim pant increases the risk for harmful bacteria in the water.

    In my opinion, unless there is scientific evidence to provide support to all those claims, those that make you think that babies using a swim pant will not contaminate the water; a warning label should be added to the bag.  This warning will help public swimming pool administrators avoid any issues with those parents with babies who want to get their infants into the pool, even if the baby is using a swim pant. It will also reduce the liability of swim pant manufacturers.  Most pools have specific warnings and guidelines to follow. People jumping into the pool without taking a shower first are increasing the danger for contaminating the water with fecal matter. In this case, they are willingly but wrongly bypassing a rule, which should be not allowed or encouraged by family or friends.

    Few things are more enjoyable than playing with a baby in a pool, however, in consideration and out of respect to others; this should not be done in a hotel pool or any public swimming pool, unless it has been designated for that very specific purpose. This is why many hotels have small splash pools for infants.  If it was a public requirement to have every pool show the amount of fecal bacteria on their waters, maybe nobody would like to swim in it. 

    Let's have fun, but let's do our best to keep public pools healthy for all too. Please keep swim pants out of public pools, at least until they are improved to a point where they are no longer a risk.
    Related Searches
    • japan
    • chemicals
    • huggies
    • private label
    Related Knowledge Center
    • Diaper, Baby
      Loading, Please Wait..
      Trending
      • K-C Requests Huggies-Related Lawsuit To Be Thrown Out
      • WPT Nonwovens To Add Thermobonding Line In Kentucky
      • Glatfelter Develops Compostable Wipe Substrate
      • Berry Global CEO To Retire
      • Pampers Releases Limited Edition Easy Ups Training Underwear With Peppa Pig Prints
      Breaking News
      • Qvin Menstrual Blood Diagnostic Device Receives FDA Approval in Thailand
      • Andritz, KCF Technologies Form Agreement
      • Freudenberg e-Power Systems, LG Energy Solution Announce Partnership
      • Berry Global CEO to Retire
      • ITA Holding Acquires Taiprora
      View Breaking News >
      CURRENT ISSUE

      February 2023

      • The Face Mask Market—Three Years Later
      • Spunlace Nonwovens: A New Normal
      • Innovation Shines in Personal Care Wipes
      • Paltrow, Cuban Invest in Kudos
      • View More >



      Cookies help us to provide you with an excellent service. By using our website, you declare yourself in agreement with our use of cookies.
      You can obtain detailed information about the use of cookies on our website by clicking on "More information”.

      • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms And Conditions
      • Contact Us

      follow us

      Subscribe
      Nutraceuticals World

      Latest Breaking News From Nutraceuticals World

      GOED Elects New Board Officers for 2023
      Aspire Hires Darrec Jones as VP of Business Development
      Pycnogenol Supplementation Linked to Better Hair Density in Menopausal Women
      Coatings World

      Latest Breaking News From Coatings World

      PPG’s SEM Products Business Launches VCS Hybrid Cup System for the Refinish Market
      PPG Education Partner C3 Launches Digital Lesson ‘The Sustainable Factory'
      PPG Recognized as ‘Most Admired Company’ by FORTUNE Magazine
      Medical Product Outsourcing

      Latest Breaking News From Medical Product Outsourcing

      Abbott Earns U.S. and European Approvals for New Technologies
      Kymanox Corporation Acquires Anteris
      Siemens Healthineers and Unilabs Enter Multi-Year Agreement
      Contract Pharma

      Latest Breaking News From Contract Pharma

      Merck Revenues up 22% for the Year to $59.3B
      BioNTech SE Completes Plasmid DNA Manufacturing Facility in Marburg, Germany
      Dragonfly Therapeutics Appoints Joseph Eid as President of Research & Development
      Beauty Packaging

      Latest Breaking News From Beauty Packaging

      Lush Supports Cancer Research with New Bath Bomb
      e.l.f. Beauty Net Sales Grow 49% in Third Quarter of 2023
      DOVE Introduces ‘Next-Gen’ Body Wash in Sleek New Sustainable Bottle
      Happi

      Latest Breaking News From Happi

      Color Street Commemorates Black History Month with Africa-Inspired Nail Strips
      ‘Responsive Coatings’ for Hair Patented by L’Oréal
      Delicious Living Magazine Names Kiss My Face's Moisture Shave a Double Winner in 2023 Beauty & Body Awards
      Ink World

      Latest Breaking News From Ink World

      2023 Trends: Regulations Create Challenges, Opportunities for Industrial Inkjet Printing
      International Paper Named to Fortune's List of World's Most Admired Companies
      Flint Group Launches Sustainable UV LED Dual Cure Ink
      Label & Narrow Web

      Latest Breaking News From Label & Narrow Web

      Brook + Whittle acquires LLT Labels
      ABG adds laser perforation to shrink sleeve seaming solution
      PPC Flexible Packaging acquires Israel-based StePac, MAPfresh Holdings
      Nonwovens Industry

      Latest Breaking News From Nonwovens Industry

      Qvin Menstrual Blood Diagnostic Device Receives FDA Approval in Thailand
      Andritz, KCF Technologies Form Agreement
      Freudenberg e-Power Systems, LG Energy Solution Announce Partnership
      Orthopedic Design & Technology

      Latest Breaking News From Orthopedic Design & Technology

      Adrian Tyndall Joins Axogen's Board of Directors
      ADSM-Synchro Medical Acquired by Tyber Medical
      Solid Growth Ahead for Orthopedic Power Tools Market
      Printed Electronics Now

      Latest Breaking News From Printed Electronics Now

      Infineon Concludes Very Profitable 1Q 2023
      LOPEC 2023: Here are the Highlights for Printed Electronics
      Employee-Led Giving at ORNL Provides $937,000 to Area Nonprofits in 2022

      Copyright © 2023 Rodman Media. All rights reserved. Use of this constitutes acceptance of our privacy policy The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Rodman Media.

      AD BLOCKER DETECTED

      Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
      Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.


      FREE SUBSCRIPTION Already a subscriber? Login