The surge in demand for interior and exterior paints and use of plastic across various end-use industries drive the global Lithopone market. Lithopone white pigment is used in paints and coating systems that find applications in residential and industrial landscapes. Hence, as the construction & building sector flourishes, the demand for building and architectural materials such as paints and coatings will increase. This trend is conducive for the Lithopone market growth. In addition, white plastic materials are increasingly being used in consumer products. Developments in plastic forming technology is anticipated to indirectly boost plastic production, thus, increasing the demand for white pigments during the forecast period.

The updated evaluation revises the outcome of EFSA’s previous assessment published in 2016, which highlighted the need for more research to fill data gaps.  

For a review published in 2023 in the journal Environmental Pollution, researchers examined E171 as a possible factor promoting obesity-related metabolic disorders. Because gut microbiota play an important role in immune function maintenance and development, and because titanium dioxide as a food additive has been shown to alter gut microbiota, researchers wanted to review “the dysregulations along the gut microbiota-immune system axis after oral TiO2 exposure compared to those reported in obese or diabetic patients, and to highlight potential mechanisms by which foodborne TiO2 nanoparticles may increase the susceptibility to develop obesity-related metabolic disorders.” The study authors discovered recurrent changes in the gut microbiota composition when exposed to titanium dioxide nanoparticles, with an imbalance of intestinal symbiotic microbiota. These changes and imbalances were also reported and played a role in the development of obesity, the authors wrote. This highlights “foodborne TiO2 nanoparticles as an endocrine disruptor-like chemical promoting obesity-related disorders,” the authors concluded.