A.B. 418, authored by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-San Fernando Valley), will soon receive its final votes in the state legislature. If the bill is signed into law, the Golden State would be the first in the nation to ban these toxic chemicals from bread, salad dressings, frozen pizzas and other popular food items.

An inorganic chemical, titanium dioxide is used as a dye to help products achieve a certain appearance, including whitening a product. Some experts and publications have described it as being akin to a paint primer that's used before the color is added to food in order to give products a uniform shine. Its presence is common in many items beyond Skittles including coffee creamers, cake mixes, and chewing gum. It's also used for pigment and in cosmetics manufacturing.

On the other hand, titanium dioxide is a synthetic mineral that is produced through a chemical reaction involving the mineral ilmenite or rutile. It is used in industries such as cosmetics, paint, and sunscreen as a whitening agent and pigment. The manufacturing process of titanium dioxide involves extracting the mineral from ores, purifying it through chemical processes, and then grinding it into a fine powder.

The Journal of the American Institute for Conservation (JAIC) is an international peer-reviewed periodical for the art conservation profession. The Journal publishes articles on treatment case studies, current issues, materials research, and technical analyses relating to the conservation and preservation of historic and cultural works. The topics encompass a broad range of specialties including architectural materials, archeological objects, books and paper, ethnographic materials, objects, paintings, photographic materials, sculpture, and wooden artifacts. Started as the Bulletin of the International Institute for Conservation-American Group (IIC-AG), in April 1961, the Journal matured into its current form in 1977. Since that time JAIC has become a repository for the core body of conservation information through its documentation of new materials, changing methods, and developing standards in the conservation profession. The four-color publication is distributed three times a year to AIC members and museum, library, and university subscribers.

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Overnight news titanium dioxide industry

JECFA previously assessed titanium dioxide at its 13^th meeting, at which time the expert committee assigned a “not specified” ADI for the additive due to an absence of significant absorption and a lack of toxicological effects in the available experimental animal and human studies. Since its original evaluation by JECFA, titanium dioxide has become a public point of contention, with its ban being introduced (and then subsequently withdrawn) in California legislation in 2023, a legal battle playing out in the EU over the additive’s ban and classification as a carcinogen in 2022, and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) calling titanium dioxide unsafe. However, supporters of titanium dioxide say that claims about its dangers are founded in unreliable studies, and some recent research has supported its safety as a food additive.

Separately, concerns have been raised about titanium dioxide impacting one's genetic code. This can be traced to a 2009 study which found that titanium dioxide nanoparticles caused DNA damage and genetic instability in mice. A 2022 study published in Food and Chemical Toxicology also raised concerns about the DNA-damaging effects of titanium dioxide as a food additive. The study noted that results evidenced a DNA-damaging effect, and added that there may also be impacts to chromosomal integrity, an indicator of cancer risk.

Titanium can sometimes be detected by metal detectors. Whether a particular metal detector can detect titanium depends on the sensitivity and discrimination factors of that metal detector.

By doing so, we achieve cost reduction, increased film strength and improved fungicidal and algaecidal properties. 

How Is Titanium Dioxide Made?

Is titanium dioxide dangerous? Has it been linked to any health issues?

On absorption of UV light, photo-generated titanium dioxide particles create singlet oxygen, superoxide anions (O2-) and hydroxyl radicals (OH-) that are potent free radicals (1,2). Irradiated particles of titanium dioxide can induce oxidative damage to DNA (2) which can lead to the development of mutant cells and skin cancers (3,4,5,6) and lipid peroxidation of essential functions on the cell membrane (7).

From studies deemed relevant, the experts found that titanium dioxide as a food additive is poorly absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract of mice and rats, with no adverse effects observed in short-term studies in rodents receiving titanium dioxide in their diets. No observed adverse effect levels (NOAELs) of 15,000 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight (mg/kg BW) per day and 5,000 mg/kg BW per day—the highest doses tested—were established for mice and rats, respectively.

It adds a bright white color to coffee creamers, baked goods, chewing gums, hard-shell candies, puddings, frostings, dressings, and sauces. But the nanoparticles found in “food-grade” titanium dioxide may accumulate in the body and cause DNA damage—which is one way chemicals cause cancer and other health problems. 

Tint reducing power, compared with standard samples

By reducing processed foods in your diet, you can reduce the likelihood of not only eating titanium dioxide but eating other chemicals of concern, Faber said, noting that consumers can also call their elected representatives urging them to support increased food safety legislation and take action with organization alliances like Toxic Free Food FDA. America, once again, is falling behind the rest of the world when it comes to chemical safety.