A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2019 sought to examine the effects of titanium dioxide on intestinal inflammation. Researchers did this by feeding rats titanium dioxide nanoparticles and found that, after the course of two to three months, the animals had lower body weights and induced intestinal inflammation. The researchers also found the nanoparticles altered gut microbiota composition and aggravated chronic colitis. The rats also experienced reduced populations of CD4+T cells (which are cells that help organize immune responses by prompting other immune cells to fight infection), regulatory T cells, and white blood cells in mesenteric lymph nodes. The researchers wrote: “Dietary TiO2 nanoparticles could interfere with the balance of the immune system and dynamic of gut microbiome, which may result in low-grade intestinal inflammation and aggravated immunological response to external stimulus, thus introducing potential health risk.”

What is an exposure route? 

3. UV Protection Tires are constantly exposed to harsh environmental conditions, including ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Titanium dioxide provides excellent UV protection, minimizing degradation caused by prolonged exposure. This property ensures that tires maintain their integrity and performance over time, leading to a longer lifespan.

Below 10% substitution, 1 kg of TiO2 should be replaced by 1 kg of Lithopone 30%.  

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.

Titanium dioxide goes into many industrial and consumer products. It makes paper white and bright, it keeps plastics and rubber soft and flexible, and helps remove harmful emissions from car exhaust, among many other uses. In the drug industry, it's a key ingredient in pill capsules and tablet coatings to keep the medicine inside from being affected by sunlight. 

                                            The Future of Titanium Dioxide: A Glimpse to 2023

People eating lots of candy should be more worried about the sugar and how it can cause high blood pressure and obesity, says Westerhoff.

Lithopone Market Outlook - 2020–2027

Other food manufacturers use titanium dioxide to absorb water and keep moisture from clumping or degrading, Paul Westerhoff, PhD, an environmental engineer at Arizona State University who researches the biological and cellular effects of titanium dioxide, told Health.

Safety[edit]

What other candies and food contain titanium dioxide?

Description:

In a 2021, Chinese researchers examined the impact of E171 on lipid digestion and vitamin D3 bioaccessibility in a simulated human gastrointestinal tract model. They examined Vitamin D’s bioaccessibility, or the amount it was released in the gastrointestinal tract, becoming available for absorption, and found it “significantly decreased from 80% to 74%” with the addition of E171. In the experiment, E171 decreased lipid digestion dose-dependently. Researchers wrote: “The findings of this study enhance our understanding toward the potential impact of E171 on the nutritional attributes of foods for human digestion health.”  The study was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 

Overall, the Food Directorate's comprehensive review of the available science of TiO₂ as a food additive showed: