Basic Information:

It adds a bright white color to coffee creamers, baked goods, chewing gums, hard-shell candies, puddings, frostings, dressings, and sauces. But the nanoparticles found in “food-grade” titanium dioxide may accumulate in the body and cause DNA damage—which is one way chemicals cause cancer and other health problems. 

By September, demand in the construction sector had significantly increased; however, resurgent cases of virus hindered the anticipated recovery in demand. However, due to a severe fall in market fundamentals in some end-use areas, its prices had significantly faded by quarter-end. Delays in a number of commercial projects, followed by a poor recovery in the downstream automotive market, were identified as primary causes of the protracted recovery curve.

Titanium dioxide is a mineral that’s used as a white coloring in a variety of products, including sunscreens, cosmetics, paints, and plastics. The pigment grade is also known as titanium white, pigment white 6, or CI 77891; it's the whitest and brightest of all known pigments.

One of the most common worries about titanium dioxide is that it could be a cancer-causing agent. The link between cancer and titanium dioxide traces back to a 1985 study where rats were exposed to high levels of titanium dioxide for two years, causing lung cancer. However, not all experts are convinced by this study.

Drobne et al. used the terrestrial arthropod Porcellio scaber as a test organism for determining the cytotoxic effect of TiO₂ NPs (anatase). The animals were exposed to TiO₂ NPs of two different sizes (25 nm and 75 nm) in the concentration range 10–1000 μg TiO₂/g dry food for 3 to 14 days. No adverse effects, such as mortality, body weight changes or reduced feeding, were observed. In fact, quite the opposite, an enhanced feeding rate, food absorption efficiency and increase in catalase activity were observed. The intensity of these responses appeared to be time- but not dose-dependent. It should also be noted that the concentrations tested in this study were much higher than the predicted concentration (4.8 μg/g soil) at high emission scenario of nano-sized TiO₂. Using the same test organism another group showed that exposure to TiO₂ NPs induced destabilization of cell membrane in the epithelium of digestive glands isolated from exposed animals. They also showed that this effect can be observed after just 30 minutes of exposure.

Lithopone is the re-discovered white pigment with functional properties suitable for several applications.

In the same year (2019), the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) also delivered an opinion on possible health effects of food additive titanium dioxide, which highlighted the importance of examining immunotoxicological effects in addition to potential reprotoxicological effects.

Lithopone B301, Lithopone B311 powder is also called C.I. 77115; Pigment White 5; Barium zinc sulfate sulfide and belongs to Product Categories of Inorganic & organic chemicals; uvcbs-inorganic. Lithopone B301, Lithopone B311 powder is used in water-based paints because of its excellent alkali resistance. It is widely utilized as a whitener and reinforcing agent for rubber and as a filler and whitener for paper. Lithopone B301, Lithopone B311 powder is considered to be poisonous because it is able to liberate hydrogen sulfide upon decomposition by heat, moisture, and acids. When heated to decomposition Lithopone B301, Lithopone B311 powder emits highly toxic fumes of SOx, ZnO, and H2S.