As early as sixty years ago, zinc sulphide was first thought of as a pigment for coloring India rubber and a patent for the process of its manufacture was issued in England. But it was not until twenty years later that zinc sulphide and its manufacture was seriously considered as a pigment for paint, and in 1874 a patent was issued for a process of manufacturing a white pigment, composed of zinc sulphide and barium sulphate, known as Charlton white, also as Orr's white enamel. This was followed in 1876 by a patent issued to a manufacturer named Griffith and the product, which was similar in character to Charlton white, was known as Griffith's patent zinc white. In 1879 another patent for a more novel process was obtained by Griffith & Cawley, the product made under this process proving the best of the series placed upon the market up to that date. After that time many new processes were patented, all, however, tending to the same object, that of producing a white pigment, composed of zinc sulphide and barium carbonate, the results, however, in many cases ending with failure.

It is a national high-tech enterprise, a national top 500 chemical enterprise, and the largest titanium dioxide exporter in China. The main products are TiO2, zirconium products, sulfuric acid and sulfate. Among them, titanium dioxide has reached 120,000 tons, and its export volume has ranked first in the country for three consecutive years. The annual production capacity of the main titanium dioxide is 600,000 tons, ranking first in Asia and fourth in the world.

What's the Verdict?

In 2016, the European Food Safety Authority, or EFSA, assessed titanium dioxide and determined that the evidence available at the time didn’t conclusively point to any health problems for consumers. 

As for titanium dioxide, the FDA approved titanium dioxide for use as a food additive in 1966. The last time the agency reviewed the additive’s safety, according to the Guardian, was in 1973.

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Historically, the first mentions of zinc sulfide being utilized as a pigment were approximately sixty years before the everyday use of lithopone. Originally, it was thought to be appropriate for coloring rubber. In England, a patent was granted for this process. Two decades after this, the focus shifted to zinc sulfide as a suitable pigment for paint. The year 1874 witnessed the patenting of a manufacturing process for a novel white pigment composed of zinc sulfide and barium sulfate. Dubbed Charlton white or Orr’s white enamel, this began a new era for white pigments.