- Anatase Titanium Dioxide A Safe and Effective Food-Grade Additive
- China's export market dynamics also contribute to the pricing scenario. The demand from international markets, especially from countries with a high demand for lithopone, such as India, Southeast Asia, and Europe, can push or pull domestic prices. Trade policies, tariffs, and exchange rates further influence the export prices.
But what is titanium dioxide, exactly? Here's what you need to know about this popular food additive — including what products it's used in and whether it's safe to consume.
Relative Density Among commonly used white pigments, lithopone has the smallest relative density. Among white pigments of the same mass, titanium dioxide has the largest surface area and the highest pigment volume.

However, the use of titanium dioxide has also raised concerns about its potential impact on human health and the environment. Some studies have suggested that titanium dioxide nanoparticles may have harmful effects when inhaled or ingested. Manufacturers of titanium dioxide are therefore taking steps to minimize the risk of exposure and develop safer products.

But what does that really mean for you, your skin & your health
Algaecidal effect of Lithopon: After 5 years of exposure to weathering in Alpen (Lower Rhine)
3. What is EFSA saying in its 2021 opinion on the safety of titanium dioxide as a food additive?
Lithopone is the ideal combination of the white pigment zinc sulfide and the white spacer Blanc fixe. Due to the particle distribution of the ZnS (0.35 µm) and BaSO4 (0.8 -1.0 µm), which is the result of a co-precipitation (not mixing) and co-calcination, a high packing density is achieved, which in turn gives Lithopone its low resin demand and excellent rheological properties.
Inhaling high concentrations of titanium dioxide dust or fumes, which may occur in occupational settings — such as in the production or processing of products containing the mineral — may cause respiratory problems like coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath, in addition to eye and skin irritation.
JECFA also evaluated estimates of dietary exposure to titanium dioxide, estimating the maximum 95th percentile of exposure to be 10 mg/kg BW per day. Overall, considering the low oral absorption of titanium dioxide as a food additive, the committee reaffirmed the ADI “not specified” that was established at the 13th meeting.
This article discusses the discovery of phosphorescent lithopone on watercolor drawings by American artist John La Farge dated between 1890 and 1905 and the history of lithopone in the pigment industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Despite having many desirable qualities for use in white watercolor or oil paints, the development of lithopone as an artists’ pigment was hampered by its tendency to darken in sunlight. Its availability to, and adoption by, artists remain unclear, as colormen's trade catalogs were generally not explicit in describing white pigments as containing lithopone. Further, lithopone may be mistaken for lead white during visual examination and its short-lived phosphorescence can be easily missed by the uninformed observer. Phosphorescent lithopone has been documented on only one other work-to-date: a watercolor by Van Gogh. In addition to the history of lithopone's manufacture, the article details the mechanism for its phosphorescence and its identification aided by Raman spectroscopy and spectrofluorimetry.
In a study published in 2022 in the journal Particle and Fibre Technology, researchers examined the impact of maternal exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles in newborn offspring mice. They found that “a chronic exposure to TiO2 NPs during pregnancy alters the respiratory activity of offspring, characterized by an abnormally elevated rate of breathing.” Breathing was also shown to be “significantly and abnormally accelerated,” and the ability for neural circuitry to effectively adjust breathing rates was impaired. The researchers concluded: “Our findings thus demonstrate that a maternal exposure to TiO2 NPs during pregnancy affects the normal development and operation of the respiratory centers in progeny.”
