This precipitate is not suitable for a pigment until it is filtered, dried, crushed, heated to a high temperature and quenched in cold water. The second heating in a muffle furnace at 725 °C produces crystals of the right optical size.

Example of partial substitution of titanium dioxide with lithopone supplier 30% in a liquid paint. 

Lithopone 30% CAS No. 1345-05-7

So what does this have to do with you?

The Benefits of Titanium Dioxide in Tire Production

For research published in Archives of Toxicology in 2020, scientists fed one group of mice a solution containing titanium dioxide for one month, and compared it to those that did not receive the additive. They found “the richness and evenness of gut microbiota were remarkably decreased and the gut microbial community compositions were significantly changed” in the titanium dioxide group when compared with the control group. The tests also revealed that the titanium dioxide exposure could cause locomotor dysfunction, or mobility issues “by elevating the excitement of enteric neurons, which might spread to the brain via gut-brain communication by vagal pathway.” The researchers concluded: “These findings provide valuable insights into the novel mechanism of TiO2NP-induced neurotoxicity. Understanding the microbiota-gut-brain axis will provide the foundation for potential therapeutic or prevention approaches against TiO2NP-induced gut and brain-related disorders.”

Scrap zinc or concentrated zinc ores are dissolved in sulfuric acid, the solution is purified and the two solutions are reacted. A heavy mixed precipitate results that is 28 to 30% zinc sulfide and 72 to 70% barium sulfate.

THE OBSCURE HISTORY OF A UBIQUITOUS PIGMENT: PHOSPHORESCENT LITHOPONE AND ITS APPEARANCE ON DRAWINGS BY JOHN LA FARGE

Here it has been shown that functionalization of P25TiO2NPs with vitamin B2 was able to significantly decrease the oxidative stress produced when they are exposed to sunlight. This finding is of main importance to prevent skin damage and toxicity of sunscreens containing this form of untreated titanium dioxide and should be taken into consideration when updating the regulations mentioned above .

Dispersion in the polymer: optimum dispersion should produce a good distribution and separation of titanium dioxide particles in the formulation.

Prof. Maged Younes, Chair of EFSA’s expert Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF), wrote of the decision: “Taking into account all available scientific studies and data, the Panel concluded that titanium dioxide can no longer be considered safe as a food additive. A critical element in reaching this conclusion is that we could not exclude genotoxicity concerns after consumption of titanium dioxide particles. After oral ingestion, the absorption of titanium dioxide particles is low, however they can accumulate in the body.”

Lithopone B301, Lithopone B311 powder, C.I. Pigment White 5, is a mixture of inorganic compounds, widely utilized as a white pigment. It is composed of a mixture of barium sulfate and zinc sulfide. These insoluble compounds blend well with organic compounds and confer opacity. Lithopone B301, Lithopone B311 powder is famous for the cheap production costs, greater coverage. Related white pigments include titanium dioxide, zinc oxide (zinc white), and zinc sulfide

≤12

As for titanium dioxide, the FDA approved titanium dioxide for use as a food additive in 1966. The last time the agency reviewed the additive’s safety, according to the Guardian, was in 1973.

The lack of clear regulations and controls explains that P25TiO₂NPs are still found in many of the commercialized sunscreens in the market. Some of them are coated to reduce the photoactivity of the anatase form, which is known to be responsible for tissue damage, but not enough studies were made on these coated forms. The anatase photoactivity could trigger the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, as it was stated before. The ROS are chemically reactive species containing oxygen, such as peroxides, superoxide, hydroxyl radical, and singlet oxygen. They are regularly produced in the biological milieu and counterbalanced by physiological antioxidant defense mechanisms. However, an abrupt increase of ROS may result in non-reversible damage to the skin cells. The effects of coated and uncoated P25TiO₂NPs need therefore to be studied, and articles on this topic present different conclusions. [11], [12], [13] Recent literature on this topic found that TiO₂NPs inhalation provokes serious genotoxicity and DNA damage [14], [15], [16], [17]. On the other hand, some studies in rats have reported no significant harm to genetic material [18], [19], [20], [21], [22].