Due to its light-scattering properties, small amounts of titanium dioxide are added to certain foods to enhance their white color or opacity (1Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).

Asia

TiO₂ is typically thought of as being chemically inert, meaning it does not react with other chemicals and is, therefore, a stable substance that can be used in many different industries and for various applications.

Yes. According to the FDA and other regulatory agencies globally, “titanium dioxide may be safely used for coloring foods”. Titanium dioxide is safe to use, and the FDA provides strict guidance on how much can be used in food. The amount of food-grade titanium dioxide that is used is extremely small; the FDA has set a limit of 1 percent titanium dioxide for food. There is currently no indication of a health risk at this level of exposure through the diet.

Because of its ability to absorb UV light, it's particularly useful as an ingredient in sunscreens — while its light-scattering properties are great for applications that require white opacity and brightness, such as in paint and paper.

Drivers

Titanium dioxide is found in pretty much all makeup & sunscreen.

And studies have long shown that products applied to the skin end up in the bloodstream within half an hour. With penetration rates depending on where they are applied. Absorption rates for your face & scalp are 5-10 times higher than on other parts of our body (Hotchkiss 1994).

Not to mention that in 2005, the Environmental Working Group published a combination of two studies that found toxic chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of newborn babies born in the U.S. They screened for more than 400 chemicals, and an astounding 287 toxins were detected within the umbilical cord blood of these newborns. Of these 287 chemicals, 217 were neurotoxins, and 208 are known to damage growth development or cause birth defects.

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 increased weather resistance. Moreover, development of nano-scale Lithopone is anticipated to attract market interest during the forecast period. 

The lack of clear regulations and controls explains that P25TiO₂NPs are still found in many of the commercialized sunscreens in the market. Some of them are coated to reduce the photoactivity of the anatase form, which is known to be responsible for tissue damage, but not enough studies were made on these coated forms. The anatase photoactivity could trigger the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, as it was stated before. The ROS are chemically reactive species containing oxygen, such as peroxides, superoxide, hydroxyl radical, and singlet oxygen. They are regularly produced in the biological milieu and counterbalanced by physiological antioxidant defense mechanisms. However, an abrupt increase of ROS may result in non-reversible damage to the skin cells. The effects of coated and uncoated P25TiO₂NPs need therefore to be studied, and articles on this topic present different conclusions. [11], [12], [13] Recent literature on this topic found that TiO₂NPs inhalation provokes serious genotoxicity and DNA damage [14], [15], [16], [17]. On the other hand, some studies in rats have reported no significant harm to genetic material [18], [19], [20], [21], [22].