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Likewise, the plastics industry relies heavily on titanium dioxide to enhance the appearance and durability of plastic products. With the increasing popularity of plastic packaging and consumer goods, the demand for titanium dioxide in this industry is expected to witness steady growth in the coming years. The versatility of titanium dioxide makes it a valuable additive to improve the brightness, opacity and color stability of plastic materials, ensuring improved product performance and consumer satisfaction.

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.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles are commonly found in a wide-range of consumer goods, including cosmetics, sunscreens, paints and colorings, ceramics, glass, textiles, construction materials, medicine, food, food packaging, and more. In Europe, cosmetic companies are required to label products that contain nanoparticles. In the U.S., companies are not.

CSPI says it might reconsider its rating if specifications for food-grade titanium dioxide in the U.S. are updated to ensure nanoparticles are minimized, and new studies are conducted to assess its capacity to cause cancer or other health problems. 

It's also used in sunscreens as a UV filtering ingredient, helping to protect a person's skin by blocking absorption the ultraviolet light that can cause sunburn and cancer.

One of the key challenges facing TiO2 industry suppliers is the fluctuation of raw material prices. The production of TiO2 requires raw materials such as ilmenite or rutile, which are subject to market price volatility. Suppliers must carefully monitor these fluctuations and adjust their production processes accordingly to ensure profitability.

Restraint

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is a multifunctional semiconductor that exists in three crystalline forms: anatase, rutile, and brookite. Owing to an appropriate combination of physical and chemical properties, environmental compatibility, and low production cost, polycrystalline TiO₂ has found a large variety of applications and is considered to be a promising material for future technologies. One of the most distinctive physical properties of this material is its high photocatalytic activity (Nam et al., 2019); however, more recently it has attracted growing interest because of its resistive switching abilities (Yang et al., 2008).

Lithopone is a mixed zinc sulfide-barium sulfate brilliant white pigment that contains about 30% zinc sulfide. The original light sensitiveness of this pigment has been mitigated by purification and by the addition of such agents as polythionates and cobalt sulfate.

Titanium is a metal element found naturally in the environment. When it's exposed to oxygen in the air, it forms titanium oxides that are contained in many minerals, sands, soils, and dusts.