In beauty and personal care products, the ingredient is listed with its colour index (CI) number ‘CI 77891’. When nano grade titanium dioxide is used in our sunscreens, this is referenced as ‘titanium dioxide’ [nano] in the ingredients list.
At the present JECFA meeting, the committee considered additional toxicological studies relevant to the safety assessment of the chemical that investigated its toxicokinetics, acute toxicity, short-term toxicity, long-term toxicity and carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, and reproductive and developmental toxicity, as well as special studies addressing its short-term initiation/promotion potential for colon cancer. The experts acknowledged that a large number of toxicological studies have been conducted using test materials, including nanoparticles, having size distributions and physico-chemical properties not comparable to real-world uses of titanium dioxide as a food additive. The studies on non-representative materials were evaluated by JECFA, but the committee concluded that such studies are not relevant to the safety assessment of the additive.
Titanium is one of the most common metals on earth, but it does not occur naturally in this elemental form. TiO2, also known as titanium (IV) oxide or titania, is the naturally occurring compound created when titanium reacts with the oxygen in the air. As an oxide, titanium is found in minerals in the earth’s crust. It is also found with other elements, including calcium and iron.
In industrial settings, people can be exposed to titanium dioxide through inhalation. Inhalation exposure to titanium dioxide is exceedingly rare for most people.