Patent ID: 6747186
Filing Date: 2004-06-08
Classification: A61F,A61L

Abstract:
A water-decomposable absorbent article, comprising:a water-decomposable backsheet having two ends, a water-decomposable liquid-pervious topsheet having two ends different from the two ends of said backsheet, a water-decomposable absorbent core sandwiched between the backsheet and the topsheet, and a water-swellable adhesive layer provided on a garment facing surface of the backsheet for securing the absorbent article to a garment, the adhesive layer being formed in a predetermined pattern to occupy 10 to 50% of the garment facing surface of the backsheet, the backsheet being formed of a spunlaced nonwoven fabric having a basic weight within the range from 10 to 50 g/m2, the nonwoven fabric comprising water-dispersible fibers having a length of at most 20 mm and water-insoluble carboxymethyl cellulose having a degree of etherification within the range from 0.43 to 0.6 and being modified so that hydrogens of at least 95% of carboxylic acids therein are substituted with metal, a content of the water-insoluble carboxymethyl cellulose being from 1 to 30% by weight of the nonwoven fabric, the nonwoven fabric having a surface strength of at least 4 in terms of wax number, a breaking strength of at least 9.8 N/25 mm relative to a tensile load applied thereto in a horizontal direction of the sheet, a breaking strength of at least 1.5 N/18 mm in a vertical direction, and a water-decomposability of at most 120 seconds.