The additive goes into a lot of personal care products to whiten and brighten colors and to make them opaque, like toothpaste and makeup.

For people in occupational settings that increase the risk of titanium dioxide exposure, taking protective measures is helpful. This may include wearing protective equipment, such as respirators, and using ventilation systems.

Tint reducing power, compared with standard samples

Why all of a sudden is there so much interest in the safety of Titanium Dioxide?

Researchers from France and Luxembourg gave E171 (the much more food friendly name for Titanium Dioxide) in Europe and the United States, to lab rats in their drinking water for 100 days.

Of those rats, 40 per cent of the exposed rodents developed “preneoplastic lesions” or precancerous growths. The Titanium Dioxide also inhibited the immune systems of the rats and “accelerated” the growth of the lesions. France’s INRA agricultural research institute, which took part in the study, said in a statement.“These results demonstrate a role in initiating and promoting the early stages of colorectal cancer formation,” though it said no conclusion could be drawn about later phases of cancer, or of any danger to humans……….(not till they test it on us!!)

The results of the study were published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports.

Lithopone, a white pigment composed of a mixture of barium sulfate and zinc sulfide, is commonly used in the leather industry as a coloring agent. Leather suppliers around the world rely on lithopone to achieve the desired color and finish on their products.

A Lawsuit Claims Skittles Are Unfit for Consumption. Experts Weigh in, by Rachel Rabkin Peachman, The New York Times, July 26, 2022