In a lawsuit filed last week, a consumer alleged that Skittles were unfit for human consumption because the rainbow candy contained a known toxin – an artificial color additive called titanium dioxide.

The leading Chinese TiO2 exporter in value and quantity has been Sichuan Lomon, followed by Henan Billions and Gansu CNNC Huayuan. However, Sichuan Lomon exported a value of titanium dioxide by USD100,000,000 more than the second rank Henan Billions. Henan Billions, on the other hand, exported over USD70,000,000 more TiO2 than Gansu CNNC Huayuan. This demonstrates the huge monopole-like position of the newly merged company Henan Lomon, which can determine the market development for TiO2 in China nearly all alone.

But that depends on how titanium dioxide is being used and how you might come into contact with it. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified titanium dioxide as possibly carcinogenic to humans based on studies that showed more lung tumors in rats associated with breathing in titanium dioxide.

The FDA is reviewing the safety of titanium dioxide in response to an April petition from EWG and other environmental and public health groups. This is the FDA’s first comprehensive review of titanium dioxide since 1973.

FAQ – EFSA 2021 safety assessment of titanium dioxide (E171)

lithopone supplier 30% applied in masterbatch has maximum purity, good opacity and reasonable light fastness.  

We know that there are a lot of suspended organisms and colloidal impurities in natural water. The forms of suspended solids are different. Some large particles of suspended solids can settle under their own gravity. The other is colloidal particles, which is an important reason for the turbidity of water. Colloidal particles can not be removed by natural settlement, because colloidal particles in water are mainly clay with negative electricity The Brownian motion of colloidal particles and the hydration on the surface of colloidal particles make colloidal particles have dispersion stability. Among them, electrostatic repulsion has the greatest influence. If coagulant is added to water, it can provide a large number of positive ions and accelerate the coagulation and precipitation of colloid. Compressing the diffusion layer of micelles makes the potential change into an unstable factor, which is also conducive to the adsorption and condensation of micelles. The water molecules in the hydrated film have fixed contact with the colloidal particles and have high elastic viscosity. It is necessary to overcome the special resistance to expel these water molecules. This resistance hinders the direct contact of the colloidal particles. The existence of some hydrated films depends on the electric double layer state. If coagulant is added to reduce the zeta potential, the hydration may be weakened. The polymer materials formed after coagulant hydrolysis (the polymer materials directly added into water generally have chain structure) play an adsorption bridging role between the colloidal particles. Even if the zeta potential does not decrease or does not decrease much, the colloidal particles can not contact each other and can be adsorbed through the polymer chain Colloidal particles can also form flocs.

The availability of other white pigments poses a major challenge for the Lithopone market during the forecast period. Other alternatives to Lithopone include Zinc White, Titanium Dioxide, Calcium Carbonate, Blanc Fixe, and Barytes. The use of TiO2 has reduced the commercial significance of the Lithopone in the pigments industry.

The FDA and certain others say titanium dioxide is safe to use in foods and personal care products. The FDA provides strict guidelines on how much can be used in food. The limit is very small: no more than 1% titanium dioxide.

The California plaintiff is apparently not the only one concerned about titanium dioxide. The European Union recently banned its use citing concerns about serious health consequences.

Used for coloring paint, ink, rubber, etc. Inorganic white pigments are widely used as white pigments in plastics such as polyolefin, vinyl resin, ABS resin, polystyrene, polycarbonate, nylon and polyformaldehyde, as well as paints and inks. It is less effective in polyurethane and amino resins, and less suitable in fluoroplastics. It is also used for coloring rubber products, papermaking, varnished cloth, oilcloth, leather, watercolor paints, paper, enamel, etc. Used as an adhesive in the production of electric beads.

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Nanoparticles

As early as sixty years ago, zinc sulphide was first thought of as a pigment for coloring India rubber and a patent for the process of its manufacture was issued in England. But it was not until twenty years later that zinc sulphide and its manufacture was seriously considered as a pigment for paint, and in 1874 a patent was issued for a process of manufacturing a white pigment, composed of zinc sulphide and barium sulphate, known as Charlton white, also as Orr's white enamel. This was followed in 1876 by a patent issued to a manufacturer named Griffith and the product, which was similar in character to Charlton white, was known as Griffith's patent zinc white. In 1879 another patent for a more novel process was obtained by Griffith & Cawley, the product made under this process proving the best of the series placed upon the market up to that date. After that time many new processes were patented, all, however, tending to the same object, that of producing a white pigment, composed of zinc sulphide and barium carbonate, the results, however, in many cases ending with failure.