The urine smell around patients with urinary incontinence. The production of ammonia in ordinary diapers and in diapers impregnated with copper acetate.

The foul smell of urine around patients with urine incontinence is thought to be due mainly to the production of ammonia from urea by bacterial ureases. The production of ammonia was thus measured by infrared spectrophotometry in control diapers and in test diapers impregnated with copper acetate (CA), after use by urine-incontinent patients with persistent bacteriuria. The CA-impregnated diapers produced significantly less ammonia than the control diapers. The CA-impregnated diapers were not bactericidal, however. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the smell reduction of the CA-impregnated diapers is due to a bacteriostatic action or an inhibition of bacterial ureases by CA.