Still, in 2016 Skittles publicly declared it would get rid of the chemical compound in its products, according to a press release at the time from the Center for Food Safety, which called the substance harmful and potentially poisonous. But the ingredient remains, according to the lawsuit, which alleges the candy company is misleading consumers by not having eliminated titanium dioxide.

Australian researchers examined how titanium dioxide as a food additive affected gut microbiota in mice by orally administering it in drinking water. The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition in 2019, found the treatment could “alter the release of bacterial metabolites in vivo and affect the spatial distribution of commensal bacteria in vitro by promoting biofilm formation. We also found reduced expression of the colonic mucin 2 gene, a key component of the intestinal mucus layer, and increased expression of the beta defensin gene, indicating that titanium dioxide significantly impacts gut homeostasis.” The changes were then linked to colonic inflammation, along with a higher expression of inflammatory cytokines, which are signal proteins that help with regulation. The researchers concluded that titanium dioxide “impairs gut homeostasis which may in turn prime the host for disease development.”

But in the U.S., titanium dioxide is found all over the grocery shelves. Candy like Skittles, Starbursts, and Jell-O, gum like Trident White peppermint gum and Mentos Freshmint Gum, cake products like Duncan Hines Creamy Vanilla Frosting, and Nabisco Chips Ahoy! cookies are just a few of the myriad food items that contain the additive.

In food, titanium dioxide is often used as an artificial color additive. Tasha Stoiber, senior scientist at the consumer health nonprofit Environmental Working Group, says titanium dioxide can generally be thought of as a paint primer – it often goes on a hard-shelled candy like Skittles before the color is added to give it a uniform shine.

Titanium dioxide prices in the Asian market skyrocketed due to high demand and limited stock availability. Prices in the Chinese market surged significantly, reaching 2875 USD /MT at the end of March, well above the USD 2015/MT level in January 2021.

Different dermal cell types have been reported to differ in their sensitivity to nano-sized TiO₂ . Kiss et al. exposed human keratinocytes (HaCaT), human dermal fibroblast cells, sebaceous gland cells (SZ95) and primary human melanocytes to 9 nm-sized TiO₂ particles at concentrations from 0.15 to 15 μg/cm² for up to 4 days. The particles were detected in the cytoplasm and perinuclear region in fibroblasts and melanocytes, but not in kerati-nocytes or sebaceous cells. The uptake was associated with an increase in the intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration. A dose- and time-dependent decrease in cell proliferation was evident in all cell types, whereas in fibroblasts an increase in cell death via apoptosis has also been observed. Anatase TiO₂ in 20–100 nm-sized form has been shown to be cytotoxic in mouse L929 fibroblasts. The decrease in cell viability was associated with an increase in the production of ROS and the depletion of glutathione. The particles were internalized and detected within lysosomes. In human keratinocytes exposed for 24 h to non-illuminated, 7 nm-sized anatase TiO_2, a cluster analysis of the gene expression revealed that genes involved in the “inflammatory response” and “cell adhesion”, but not those involved in “oxidative stress” and “apoptosis”, were up-regulated. The results suggest that non-illuminated TiO₂ particles have no significant impact on ROS-associated oxidative damage, but affect the cell-matrix adhesion in keratinocytes in extracellular matrix remodelling. In human keratinocytes, Kocbek et al. investigated the adverse effects of 25 nm-sized anatase TiO₂ (5 and 10 μg/ml) after 3 months of exposure and found no changes in the cell growth and morphology, mitochondrial function and cell cycle distribution. The only change was a larger number of nanotubular intracellular connections in TiO₂-exposed cells compared to non-exposed cells. Although the authors proposed that this change may indicate a cellular transformation, the significance of this finding is not clear. On the other hand, Dunford et al. studied the genotoxicity of UV-irradiated TiO₂ extracted from sunscreen lotions, and reported severe damage to plasmid and nuclear DNA in human fibroblasts. Manitol (antioxidant) prevented DNA damage, implying that the genotoxicity was mediated by ROS.

Toxic effects of TiO₂ NPs on soil organisms

So what does this have to do with you?

Blanc de Comines, 27 per cent zinc sulphide, 70.5 per cent barium sulphate, 2.5 per cent zinc carbonate.

We are committed to providing our customers with the highest quality products. Our Lithopone is manufactured using advanced technology and quality control processes to ensure consistent and reliable performance. We understand the importance of meeting your specific requirements, so we offer different grades of lithopone to meet the needs of various applications.

Packaging containing this additive has been shown to decrease ethylene production in fruit, thus delaying the ripening process and prolonging shelf life (4Trusted Source).

Why does the exposure route matter, and what's the risk? 

Lithopone can also be used as raw material of putty to fill gaps; Adding 20% lithopone to the concrete to make artificial quartz without harming its light resistance and solidification; It can improve the impact resistance and electrical performance when used in fire safety polyester chemicals; These are the raw materials of audio vinyl records used for turbojet engine dye and thermal insulation coating and insulating layer.