Zhu et al. were the first to provide evidence that TiO₂ NPs (21 nm) can transfer from daphnia to zebrafish by dietary exposure. Hence, dietary intake could be a major route of exposure to NPs for high trophic level aquatic organisms. Ecological research should therefore focus, not only on the concentration of NPs in the environment, but also on its bioconcentration, bioaccumulation and biomagnification. In addition it has been shown that TiO₂ NPs can increase accumulation of other environmental toxicants: enhanced accumulation of cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) was found in carp in the presence of TiO₂ NPs. The strong adsorption capacity for Cd and As was explained by the large specific surface area and strong electrostatic attraction of TiO₂ NPs that contribute to facilitated transport into different organs.

Animal studies have shown that, when consumed as a food additive, titanium dioxide can induce intestinal inflammation.

Lithopone 30% CAS No. 1345-05-7

Lithopone 28%~30% Factory Good Service and High Quality White Power

Here it has been shown that functionalization of P25TiO2NPs with vitamin B2 was able to significantly decrease the oxidative stress produced when they are exposed to sunlight. This finding is of main importance to prevent skin damage and toxicity of sunscreens containing this form of untreated titanium dioxide and should be taken into consideration when updating the regulations mentioned above .

Titanium dioxide is used a food colour (E171) and, as with all food colours, its technological function is to make food more visually appealing, to give colour to food that would otherwise be colourless, or to restore the original appearance of food. Titanium dioxide is also present in cosmetics, paints, and medicines.

In vitro, in the hemocytes of the marine mussel Mytilus hemocytes, suspension of TiO₂ NPs (Degussa P25, 10 μg/ml) stimulated immune and inflammatory responses, such as lysozyme release, oxidative burst and nitric oxide production. Vevers and Jha demonstrated the intrinsic genotoxic and cytotoxic potential of TiO₂ NPs on a fish-cell line derived from rainbow-trout gonadal tissue (RTG-2 cells) after 24 h of exposure to 50 μg/ml. Reeves et al. demonstrated a significant increase in the level of oxidative DNA damage in goldfish cells, and suggested that damage could not repaired by DNA repair mechanisms. Another suggestion from the mentioned study was that hydroxyl radicals are generated also in the absence of UV light. It has been shown that fish cells are generally more susceptible to toxic/oxidative injury than mammalian cells.

Titanium dioxide mainly comes from the earth’s crust, where it’s actually the ninth most common element. When processed, it becomes a fine powder with a vibrant white pigment.

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Asia-Pacific accounted for the largest revenue share in 2019. China and India are the key markets in the region that have a growing paint and plastics industry, owing to rise in urbanization and industrial developments such as in automotive and construction domains.