EFSA’s scientific advice will be used by risk managers (the European Commission, Member States) to inform any decisions they take on possible regulatory actions.

The North American region suffered from the excess influx of material in the market, especially from the Asian countries, in the first half of the third quarter. The quarter, however, showed signs of significant improvement with a rise in the number of offtakes. Further, the lack of labor in the US challenged the rates of production of titanium dioxide and resulted in the depletion in the level of existing inventories, pushing the titanium dioxide price graph in an upward direction.

Relative to a lot of other things that people should be concerned about, titanium dioxide in my mind, is really low on the list. I would be more worried about some substitutes that people are using for titanium dioxide that don't have decades of research associated with it, said Westerhoff.

Packaging containing this additive has been shown to decrease ethylene production in fruit, thus delaying the ripening process and prolonging shelf life (4Trusted Source).

1. Purity The purity of barium sulphate is essential, especially in applications such as pharmaceuticals. Suppliers should provide certifications stating the purity levels and any presence of impurities or contaminants.

The price trendss for titanium dioxide kept on the lower side of the scale during the first half of 2023. As the paint and coatings industries reduced their offtakes,  the abundant supply of the product in the market led to a fall in prices. The prices also suffered from falling energy costs and declining freight charges. Further, the rising speculations of a global recession caused manufacturers to participate actively in destocking.

What Is Titanium Dioxide?

It offers several advantages in various applications. Its excellent opacity and brightness make it a popular choice in the production of paints, coatings, and printing inks, providing a cost-effective alternative to titanium dioxide. Lithopone's chemical stability enhances its durability in outdoor environments, making it suitable for outdoor coatings. Additionally, its low reactivity and compatibility with other pigments contribute to its versatility. Beyond coatings, lithopone finds utility in plastics, rubber, and paper industries. Overall, its multifaceted advantages and broad applications underscore this compound's significance in diverse industrial sectors.

The skin of an adult person is, in most places, covered with a relatively thick (∼10 μm) barrier of keratinised dead cells. One of the main questions is still whether TiO₂ NPs are able to penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin. The majority of studies suggest that TiO₂ NPs, neither uncoated nor coated (SiO₂, Al₂O₃ and SiO₂/Al₂O₃) of different crystalline structures, penetrate normal animal or human skin. However, in most of these studies the exposures were short term (up to 48 h); only few long-term or repeated exposure studies have been published. Wu et al.83 have shown that dermal application of nano-TiO₂ of different crystal structures and sizes (4–90 nm) to pig ears for 30 days did not result in penetration of NPs beyond deep epidermis. On the other hand, in the same study the authors reported dermal penetration of TiO₂ NPs with subsequent appearance of lesions in multiple organs in hairless mice, that were dermal exposed to nano-TiO₂ for 60 days. However, the relevance of this study for human exposure is not conclusive because hairless mice skin has abnormal hair follicles, and mice stratum corneum has higher lipid content than human stratum corneum, which may contribute to different penetration. Recently Sadrieh et al. performed a 4 week dermal exposure to three different TiO₂ particles (uncoated submicron-sized, uncoated nano-sized and coated nano-sized) in 5 % sunscreen formulation with minipigs. They found elevated titanium levels in epidermis, dermis and in inguinal lymph nodes, but not in precapsular and submandibular lymph nodes and in liver. With the energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis the authors confirmed presence of few TiO₂ particles in dermis and calculated that uncoated nano-sized TiO₂ particles observed in dermis represented only 0.00008 % of the total applied amount of TiO₂ particles. Based on the same assumptions used by the authors in their calculations it can be calculated that the total number of particles applied was 1.8 × 10¹³ /cm² and of these 1.4 x10⁷/cm² penetrated. The surface area of skin in humans is around 1.8 m²  and for sun protection the cream is applied over whole body, which would mean that 4 week usage of such cream with 5 % TiO₂ would result in penetration of totally 2.6 × 10¹⁰ particles. Although Sadrieh et al.concluded that there was no significant penetration of TiO₂ NPs through intact normal epidermis, the results are not completely confirmative.

So, what does it all mean for you, the consumer? Should you stop eating Skittles or begin checking foods for the presence of titanium dioxide? Here's a closer look.

Promotion of noncancerous tumors

Importantly, TiO2 also has a very high refractive index (its ability to scatter light), even higher than diamond. This makes it an incredibly bright substance and an ideal material for aesthetic design use.