Lithopone is rather nontoxic, due to the insolubility of its components. It has been used in medicine as a radiocontrast agent. Lithopone is allowed to be in contact with foodstuffs in the US and Europe.^[1]

Despite a bullish trends ruling the market for the bulk of the period, the North American market had mixed sentiments in the fourth quarter of 2021. This was mostly due to the adequate pushback from the supply-demand imbalance, which was further compounded by rising natural gas prices, which had taken a proper toll on the future production of numerous minerals, including titanium dioxide. An increase in COVID instances had prompted concerns in ore feedstock. As a result, during the fourth quarter of 2021, the FD UGSC (USA) quarterly average negotiations for the chemical CP Rutile Grade were finalised at USD 4434 per tonne.

Zinc oxide. Zinc oxide is a popular cross-linking agent for rubber and for various resins. It is essential in the formulation of solvent-borne polychloroprene adhesives. Furthermore, zinc oxide is a good UV stabilizer, has biocidal activity and has a relatively high refractive index (2.0) which makes it an efficient white pigment. Some typical properties are: density 5.6 g/cm³; particle size 0.036-3 μm; oil absorption 10–20 g/100 g; specific surface area 10–45 m²/g. Zinc oxide is produced by reaction of the metal in the vapour state with oxygen. Zinc oxide is nonporous and is quite pure. Thus, the high surface area of some grades is due to the small particle size of zinc oxide. Some grades, especially for use in the rubber industry, are surface modified by deposition of 0.2-0.4% of stearic acid, propionic acid, or light oil [47].