JECFA previously assessed titanium dioxide at its 13^th meeting, at which time the expert committee assigned a “not specified” ADI for the additive due to an absence of significant absorption and a lack of toxicological effects in the available experimental animal and human studies. Since its original evaluation by JECFA, titanium dioxide has become a public point of contention, with its ban being introduced (and then subsequently withdrawn) in California legislation in 2023, a legal battle playing out in the EU over the additive’s ban and classification as a carcinogen in 2022, and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) calling titanium dioxide unsafe. However, supporters of titanium dioxide say that claims about its dangers are founded in unreliable studies, and some recent research has supported its safety as a food additive.

4.3 g/Cm3

The properties of lithopone are very suitable for use in the production of coatings. Because the ingredients of lithopone are zinc sulfide and barium sulfate, and the more zinc sulfide content, the stronger its covering power. This indicates a paint product with strong white covering power. It is different from water in that it reacts with acid but does not react with alkali. It has a wide range of uses. Because its structural properties are similar to titanium dioxide and its price is relatively cheap, it can also be used as a substitute for some titanium dioxide. Lithopone can be used for coloring paints, inks, pigments, rubber, paper, leather, enamel, etc.

In a small study published in the European Journal of Nutrition in 2020, researchers examined the effects of several food additives, including titanium dioxide, along with artificial sweeteners and cleaning products by testing the fecal samples of 13 people. Titanium dioxide was among the samples that “induced significant shifts in microbiome community structure.”  The growth of the bacterium species belonging to C. leptum, which has been shown to decrease in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, “significantly decreased in the presence of … titanium dioxide” among other additives and sweeteners tested.