lithopone pigments quotes suppliers
Lithopone is produced by coprecipitation of barium sulfate and zinc sulfide. Most commonly coprecipitation is effected by combining equimolar amounts of zinc sulfate and barium sulfide:
Titanium dioxide is one of the many oxides formed naturally in our environment. Manufacturers source this mined mineral from rutile, brookite, and anatase. It is then processed and refined to meet stringent safety guidelines based on the end-use for the mineral.
Industrial grade calcium carbonate is used in a wide range of industries such as plastics, rubber, paint, and construction. It is typically less pure than pharmaceutical or food grade calcium carbonate but still meets the quality standards required for industrial applications. Industrial grade calcium carbonate is often used as a filler or extender in various products to improve their properties.
The global demand for lithopone has been steadily increasing in recent years, driven by the growth of the construction, automotive, and electronics industries
Prof Maged Younes, Chair of EFSA’s expert Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF), said: “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”.
The other form in which titanium dioxide is produced is as an ultrafine (nanomaterial) product. This form is selected when different properties, such as transparency and maximum ultraviolet light absorption, are needed, such as in cosmetic sunscreens.
The most significant uncertainty identified by the EU experts was the concern that TiO2 particles may have genotoxic effects. Genotoxicity refers to the ability of a chemical to directly damage genetic material within a cell (DNA), which may lead to cancer in certain situations. Although the experts did not conclude that TiO2 particles in E171 are genotoxic, they could not rule out the concern that they might be.