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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 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.”