The unbleached disposable diapers which have recently become available should not be called ozone-friendly as bleached nappies do not damage the ozone layer either. The prospect of dealing with endless buckets of towelling nappies can be very daunting. A growing trend in North America is for parents to pay a laundry service to pick up a bucket each day. Incinerators sound like a good option but they release highly toxic gases. But recycling at least saves on raw materials.
Gas appliances are usually more energy-efficient and cheaper to run than electric ones.
Nuclear power carries the risk of accidents and produces radioactive waste which will pollute the environment for centuries. Applied to timber it is meant to keep fungi away by killing spores, but it remains active for many years and is a health hazard not only for people in their homes, but also for the workers who make it. Cirrhosis of the liver, bone-marrow atrophy and nervous disorders are all part of the price paid for this common household poison. Decreased fertility and increased miscarriages have been recorded among couples who sleep under electric blankets - because of the zigzagging wires which generate electromagnetic radiation. Prolonged exposure to anaesthetics has been associated with reproductive problems, and cathode-ray VDU screens have long been suspected of causing foetal deformities and miscarriages.