Nanotoxicology “focuses on determining the adverse effects of nanomaterials on human health and the environment.”
Because of health risks, France banned titanium dioxide as a food additive in 2020. Two years later the European Union also banned titanium dioxide as a food additive.
Analyst Insight
A Lawsuit Claims Skittles Are Unfit for Consumption. Experts Weigh in, by Rachel Rabkin Peachman, The New York Times, July 26, 2022
Made Safe only allows titanium dioxide as part of sunscreen solutions and diaper creams; all titanium dioxide must be non-nanoparticle. Made Safe does not allow titanium dioxide in any other personal care or household products.




Example of partial substitution of titanium dioxide with lithopone supplier 30% in a white masterbatch
While IARC listed titanium dioxide as “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” they also add that “there is inadequate evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of titanium dioxide.” Of the four human studies that they reviewed, only one showed a potential risk for occupational workers inhaling titanium dioxide particles and lung cancer, while the other three showed no risk for cancer at all. And it’s key to note that IARC did not assess the effects of titanium dioxide found in foods.


Of the two methods of extraction, the sulphate process is currently the most popular method of producing TiO2 in the European Union, accounting for 70 percent of European sources. The remaining 30 percent is the result of the chloride process. On a global level, it is estimated about 40-45 percent of the world’s production is based on the chloride process.
For research published in 2022 study in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, scientists examined “the genotoxicity and the intracellular reactive oxygen species induction by physiologically relevant concentrations of three different TiO2 nanomaterials in Caco-2 and HT29-MTX-E12 intestinal cells, while considering the potential influence of the digestion process in the NMs’ physiochemical characteristics.” They found a “DNA-damaging effect dependent on the nanomaterial,” along with the micronucleus assay suggesting “effects on chromosomal integrity, an indicator of cancer risk, in the HT29-MTX-E12 cells, for all the tested TiO2 nanomaterials.” Researchers concluded that the results showcase “evidence of concern” regarding titanium dioxide used as a food additive.