Allergy To Diaper Wipes

     The December issue of Consultant For Pediatricians had a report of a five-year-old girl who developed a red, slightly raised rash on her face around her mouth and on her buttocks. The rash was caused by an allergy to diaper wipes that her mother was using to clean off the area around her mouth after meals. The mother also had the child use the wipes instead of toilet paper.

     The report states that diaper wipes have a chemical called MCI/MI (the actual chemical name has 47 letters in it!) or trade name KathonCG. This chemical is a preservative put into the wipes to keep them moist. It commonly causes allergic reactions.

     Pre-moistened cleansing wipes have been used with diaper changes in infants for a long time, but they are now also used as a flushable alternative to toilet paper for adults, as hand and face cleaners and as makeup removers. The wipes are convenient at times but people sometimes feel that the wipes are better for “killing germs” and then use them as general skin cleansers.

     If an infant, child or adult develops a rash in an area where these wipes are used, an allergy should be suspected and the use of the wipes should stop.

     This case points out the fact that using a soft cloth and water is still the best way to clean a child’s face, hands or diaper area. Many people now use wipes because of a fear of germs and the obsession this country has developed about “cleanliness”. But we are now learning that many of the chemicals in our environment are bad for us while many of the “germs” in our environment are good for us.