Oman Bans Food Products Containing Titanium Dioxide, by Gulf News Report, July 23, 2023

The effects of TiO₂ NPs in plants

The disadvantage of Titanium Dioxide is that it's not cosmetically elegant, meaning it's a white, unspreadable mess. Sunscreens containing Titanium Dioxide are often hard to spread on the skin and they leave a disturbing whitish tint. The cosmetic industry is, of course, really trying to solve this problem and the best solution so far is using nanoparticles. The itsy-bitsy Nano-sized particles improve both spreadability and reduce the whitish tint a lot, but unfortunately, it also introduces new health concerns. 

The paints & coatings segment contributed the largest in the global Lithopone market share. It is added to paint as a white pigment to enhance its surface properties such as UV resistance and resistance to fungicidal and algae growth. 

1: Flocculation principle

The main food categories contributing to dietary exposure of E171 are fine bakery wares, soups, broths and sauces (for infants, toddlers and adolescents); and soups, broths, sauces, salads and savoury based sandwich spreads (for children, adults and the elderly). Processed nuts are also a main contributing food category for adults and the elderly.

As a result, tariffs for titanium products are remaining similar to the ones in 2016, which will not cause bigger price fluctuations and keep a stable market.

To avoid exposure to titanium dioxide, follow these recommendations:

6.0-8.0

In some studies, E171 was given to animals in drinking water without the stabilizers that keep E171 suspended in the liquid. Without stabilizers, E171 can settle and prevent the ingredient from combining with surrounding ingredients.

The most significant uncertainty identified by the EU experts was the concern that TiO₂ particles may have genotoxic effects. Genotoxicity refers to the ability of a chemical to directly damage genetic material within a cell (DNA), which may lead to cancer in certain situations. Although the experts did not conclude that TiO₂ particles in E171 are genotoxic, they could not rule out the concern that they might be.

ROS were detected through the colorimetric assay employing the nitro-blue tetrazolium salt (NBT salt) by reading the absorbance of the reduced blue molecule.