Dear Jeff,

On Facebook, I've seen lots of people pretty upset about the new Pampers with Dry Max.

I sometimes help out my sister and brother-in-law by picking up their usual brand and this is what they have recently starting using. I wouldn't want to take a chance and harm my nephew's delicate skin. Should I tell them to stop?

I've been getting this question a lot lately, so I've been trying to get to the "bottom" of the matter.

There's no doubt some babies do have sensitive skin; diaper rashes are nothing new. Yet it seems that many people who are upset about the diapers haven't actually noticed any rashes.

Some people seem to be upset with the manufacturer, Proctor & Gamble, for a grab-bag of reasons unrelated to any (non-existent) rashes. The speed at which people have become upset, without any medical reason to justify such concerns, is reminiscent of other cases of something called "mass hysteria," a psychological phenomenon.

Mass hysteria often explains scenarios when there's no biological basis for an alleged effect, the symptoms are ambiguous, and it spreads only after others hear about it. In this case, it may even be that the people who started a Facebook group about the issue actually sought to spread the scare. With parents of babies as their target, creating jitters wasn't a terribly difficult task!

In all seriousness, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is looking into the matter, but to date, hasn't taken any action, and I'd be surprised if they did. While I haven't studied the diapers, there doesn't seem to be any cause for concern so far.

If your nephew has been wearing any diapers that cause a rash, try switching to a different diaper. It may be an allergy, or the cut of the diaper may just be rubbing him the wrong way. But if he is already using Dry Max - or any other diapers - with no ill-effects, you have nothing to worry about.

Jeff Stier is the Associate Director of the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH).

Published May 10, 2010