Overwhelmingly, research that’s relevant to human eating patterns shows us that E171 is safe when ingested normally through foods and drugs (1,2).

Titanium dioxide is used in the production of paper and textiles to improve whiteness, brightness, opacity and durability. It’s often used in fabrics, yarns, paper and other fibers.

Additionally, the committee noted that the available data did not provide convincing evidence of genotoxicity for titanium dioxide as a food additive, but recognized the limitations in current methodologies with respect to the testing of poorly soluble particulate materials. Although there were uncertainties in the genotoxicity data, the experts took into account the fact that the additive was not carcinogenic in adequately conducted two-year studies in mice and rats at doses of up to 7,500 mg/kg BW per day for mice, and 2,500 mg/kg BW per day for rats, the highest doses tested. There was also no evidence of reproductive or developmental toxicity in studies in rats at doses up to 1,000 mg/kg BW per day, the highest doses tested.