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There are many ways we’re exposed to titanium dioxide in our everyday life. Below are the most common ways we encounter titanium dioxide. 

While IARC listed titanium dioxide as “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” they also add that “there is inadequate evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of titanium dioxide.” Of the four human studies that they reviewed, only one showed a potential risk for occupational workers inhaling titanium dioxide particles and lung cancer, while the other three showed no risk for cancer at all. And it’s key to note that IARC did not assess the effects of titanium dioxide found in foods.

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The EU expert panel did not identify an immediate health concern linked to TiO₂ when used as a food additive. However, due mainly to uncertainties concerning the safety of TiO₂ nanoparticles, the panel concluded that TiO₂ as a food additive (E171) could no longer be considered safe.

Historically, the first mentions of zinc sulfide being utilized as a pigment were approximately sixty years before the everyday use of lithopone. Originally, it was thought to be appropriate for coloring rubber. In England, a patent was granted for this process. Two decades after this, the focus shifted to zinc sulfide as a suitable pigment for paint. The year 1874 witnessed the patenting of a manufacturing process for a novel white pigment composed of zinc sulfide and barium sulfate. Dubbed Charlton white or Orr’s white enamel, this began a new era for white pigments.