Baby Wipes, The Least Likely Menace To America's Infrastructure

Baby wipes aren't just for infants anymore. In case you haven't heard, the New York Times highlighted the trend in 2013, and the New Yorker followed suit in a discussion of the adult moist wipes. However you're using the wipes, these moistened sheets of cleanliness are wreaking havoc on America's sewer systems. The American Chemical Society has a new report detailing how wipes are becoming a multimillion-dollar nuisance for cities and states.

Baby wipes that claim to be flushable are anything but, according to the ACS. The New York Times had a profile on the wipes clogging up New York's sewer system in March. Wet wipes are "indestructible," said Vincent Sapienza, a deputy commissioner for New York's Department of Environmental Protection. Wet wipes tend to just clump together, forming disgusting gunkballs that each individual city must address. To date, efforts made to control the problem have racked up $18 million in costs. And the problem is widespread. The Times profile notes that Hawaii, Alaska, Wisconsin and California all have been plagued by these toiletry terrorists.

And who could forget "fatberg" of 2013, a 15-ton giant ball of used wet wipes and sanitary products that clogged London's sewer system. It took weeks to repair the damage. A second fatberg, weighing in at 10 tons, was discovered in April 2015.

For older cities -- like Washington -- smaller pipes lead to big problems. More times than not, cities have to spend money that they could have used to improve infrastructure. Cities and citizens who refuse to see their money flushed away are now suing several wipe manufacturers. Wyoming, Minnesota, is suing Proctor & Gamble and Kimberley-Clark for false claims about the flushable nature of wet wipes. Class actions have also been filed over damage to household plumbing, notes ACS.

Cities are planning investigations that will compare the problems caused flushable wipes with those created by their nonflushable counterparts -- household cleaning wipes, paper towels and thicker baby wipes. The Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry will set an industry standard for what is considered flushable, and it is hope that improved labeling will inform consumer purchases.

Or, you could do what Gawker suggests, quite colorfully, which is stop using wipes if you're an adult.