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We’re most often exposed to E171 through the foods we ingest. We find E171 in many food products, like popsicles, ice cream, gum, and more. Another way we ingest E171 is through pharmaceutical drugs. Many pills and capsules contain E171 as an inactive ingredient.  

In its statement to USA TODAY, the FDA maintained that, in all post-approvals for food additives, our scientists continue to review relevant new information to determine whether there are safety questions and whether the use of such substance is no longer safe under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

While the conclusions of the EU expert panel were considered in this report, Health Canada's Food Directorate conducted its own comprehensive review of the available science. This included evaluating new scientific data that addressed some of the uncertainties identified by the EU expert panel and were not available at the time of their review.    

China's titanium dioxide enterprises are currently in the stage of capacity expansion and upgrading. With the recovery of the world economy, Caiqing Technology seized the opportunity to occupy the market, titanium dioxide has been exported to more than 90 countries and regions, and has been recognized and unanimously praised by customers in the United States, Singapore, India, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Brazil, and other countries. Our company will continue to increase the research and development of titanium dioxide, and provide high-quality titanium dioxide for various industries around the world.

Analyst Insight

The surge in demand for interior and exterior paints and use of plastic across various end-use industries drive the global Lithopone market. Lithopone white pigment is used in paints and coating systems that find applications in residential and industrial landscapes. Hence, as the construction & building sector flourishes, the demand for building and architectural materials such as paints and coatings will increase. This trend is conducive for the Lithopone market growth. In addition, white plastic materials are increasingly being used in consumer products. Developments in plastic forming technology is anticipated to indirectly boost plastic production, thus, increasing the demand for white pigments during the forecast period.

Although barium sulfate is almost completely inert, zinc sulfide degrades upon exposure to UV light, leading to darkening of the pigment. The severity of this UV reaction is dependent on a combination of two factors; how much zinc sulfide makes up the pigments formulation, and its total accumulated UV exposure. Depending on these factors the pigment itself can vary in shade over time, ranging from pure white all the way to grey or even black. To suppress this effect, a dopant may be used, such as a small amount of cobalt salts, which would be added to the formulation. This process creates cobalt-doped zinc sulfide. The cobalt salts help to stabilize zinc sulfide so it will not have as severe a reaction to UV exposure.

For years scientists have raised concerns about the potential toxicity of titanium dioxide. 

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6. What happens next?

In a study published in 2022 in the journal Particle and Fibre Technology, researchers examined the impact of maternal exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles in newborn offspring mice. They found that “a chronic exposure to TiO2 NPs during pregnancy alters the respiratory activity of offspring, characterized by an abnormally elevated rate of breathing.” Breathing was also shown to be “significantly and abnormally accelerated,” and the ability for neural circuitry to effectively adjust breathing rates was impaired. The researchers concluded: “Our findings thus demonstrate that a maternal exposure to TiO2 NPs during pregnancy affects the normal development and operation of the respiratory centers in progeny.”

Developing new Lithopone formulations, one that enhances the properties of the existing Lithopone is anticipated to boost the demand for Lithopone white pigment during the forecast period. Reinforced Lithopone is one such development, wherein a copolymer is added to the polymerization reaction to yield Lithopone with an increased weather resistance and an anti-ultraviolet property. Moreover, development of nano-scale Lithopone is also anticipated to attract market interest during the forecast period.

There are numerous manufacturers of titanium dioxide; the largest include Delaware-based Chemours (a spin-off of DuPont Chemical), Texas-based Kronos, and China-based Lomon Billions Group, all of which manufacture pigments for use in products like paints, coatings, and plastics. UK-based Venator is a major supplier of titanium dioxide used in food and cosmetics, along with paints, paper, plastic, and more. As a pigment, it is called Pigment White 6 (PW6), titanium white, or CI 77891. As a food additive, it is known as E171.

Permanence and Stability

Funding sources

③ Paper making industry: Paper making and paper products industry is the third largest application industry of titanium dioxide. Paper using titanium dioxide has good whiteness, high strength, luster, thin and smooth, and is not easy to penetrate when printing. Under the same conditions, the opacity is 10 times higher than that of paper using calcium carbonate and talc powder, and the weight can also be reduced by 15% to 30%. The amount of titanium dioxide in decorative paper accounts for 20%~40% of its raw materials, and the amount of titanium dioxide in other papers is about 1%~5%. Due to the continuous adjustment of the industrial structure of the paper products industry from 2016 to 2018, according to the data of China Paper Association, the output of China's paper products in 2019 was 72.19 million tons, a significant year-on-year increase of 29.4%, and the use of titanium dioxide increased significantly.

Uses of Titanium Dioxide