PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide: a water absorbent having a low residual monomer content, small variation in residual monomer contents between particle sizes, and good absorption characteristics, and being sanitary a water absorbing article and a method for producing the water adsorbent.SOLUTION: A water absorbent has a residual monomer content of 500 ppm or less and a residual monomer-particle size index of 0.30 or less. A method for producing the water absorbent comprises: a first step of preparing a hydrous gel-like polymer by obtaining an aqueous solution of a monomer containing an unsaturated carboxylic acid or a salt thereof and polymerizing the monomer in the presence of a crosslinking agent to obtain a hydrous gel-like polymer a second step of obtaining a water absorbing polymer precursor by drying and pulverizing the hydrous gel-like polymer and adjusting the particle size by classification a third step of obtaining a water absorbing resin by adding a surface crosslinking agent to the water absorbing resin precursor followed by heating a fourth step of adding by spraying an aqueous solution containing a sulfur-containing reducing agent to the water absorbing resin and a fifth step of heat treating the water absorbing resin having been sprayed with the aqueous solution under an air flow of 40°C or more and 120°C or less.SELECTED DRAWING: NoneCOPYRIGHT: (C)2016,JPO&INPIT【課題】残存モノマー量が低く、粒度間の残存モノマー量のばらつきが小さく、良好な吸収特性を有して衛生的である吸水剤、吸収性物品及び吸水剤の製造方法の提供。【解決手段】吸水剤は、残存モノマー量が500ppm以下であり、残存モノマー粒度指数が0.30以下である。その製造方法は、不飽和カルボン酸又はその塩を含むモノマーを水溶液にし、架橋剤の存在下、上記モノマーを重合させて含水ゲル状ポリマーを得る第一工程と、上記含水ゲル状ポリマーを乾燥、粉砕及び分級して粒度調整を行い、吸水性樹脂前駆体を得る第二工程と、上記吸水性樹脂前駆体に表面架橋剤を添加して加熱し、吸水性樹脂を得る第三工程と、上記吸水性樹脂に硫黄含有還元剤を含む水溶液を噴霧添加する第四工程と、上記水溶液を噴霧添加された吸水性樹脂を40℃以上120℃以下の気流下、加熱処理する第五工程とを有する。【選択図】なし
