On February 18,
the European Union passed a piece of regulatory legislation regarding titanium
dioxide. This legislation states that according to the European Union
Classification, Labeling, and Packaging Regulation, titanium dioxide when
inhaled is considered to be a class-two suspected carcinogen. The paint, oil
lacquer, and printing ink industries are the leading users of titanium dioxide
worldwide, and titanium dioxide is one of the most important chemicals used in
these industries.
Titanium dioxide, also known as titanium white, is an inert inorganic
substance, and it is used as a white pigment in many products. These products
include oil lacquer, paints, and printing ink. Titanium dioxide is often chosen
for its pure white color, its opacity, its brightness, and its chromatic
permanence. It is an important and basic ingredient for these industries, and
it provides quality that is unmatched by other materials. Titanium dioxide is
also used in many other products.
Carcinogen classification of
titanium dioxide may affect handling of paint materials in EU
According to recent statistics, in 2019, the paint industry
consumed 3.5 million tons of titanium dioxide, accounting for 55% of all
worldwide consumption. Over the past 40 years, the demand for titanium dioxide
has increased by an average of 3.05% each year.
Although the European Union’s classification of titanium
dioxide as a carcinigen only applies to the powder form of the material and
does not apply to titanium dioxide contained in oil lacquers, paints, or
printing ink, the classification also applies to trash and recycled materials
containing oil lacquers, paints, printing ink, and plastics containing at least
1% titanium dioxide. This may have a significant effect on how trash and
recycled materials are processed in the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Furthermore, the EU has classified a wide variety of other materials containing
titanium dioxide as possible carcinogens.
Manufacturers
show skepticism toward purported risks of titanium dioxide
The classification of titanium dioxide as a carcinogen is based
on laboratory studies involving mice. In these studies, researchers observed
that in mice who inhaled large amounts of titanium dioxide dust, the lungs of
these mice lost their function to remove dust from their tissue. However, a spokesperson
of the British Coatings Federation argued that this phenomenon observed in mice will not occur in humans,
claiming that the observed lung damage is not a result of titanium dioxide
specifically, but rather an overabundance of dust particles. The spokesperson
argued further that the mice in the studies were exposed to concentrations of
titanium dioxide dust that were over 40 times the concentrations to which
typical factory workers are exposed, and hence that the results of the study
have no bearing on human health.
Many manufacturers who use titanium
dioxide admit that during production, workers may come into contact with
titanium dioxide dust. However, in the United Kingdom and the European Union,
there exist many regulations that protect workers and minimize the amount of
dust to which they are exposed. According to manufacturers, many years of
research have not found any connection between exposure to titanium dioxide and
an increased risk of lung cancer.
For more information on China’s TiO2
market, please check our Titanium
Dioxide China Monthly Report.