On August 7, 2022, the European Commission banned titanium dioxide as a food additive, but in the US, it continues to be actively used and can be found in a wide variety of every day products like milk, coffee creamer, salad dressings, candy and sweets, chewing gums, vitamin supplements and more.
Titanium dioxide is a powder that’s used as a white pigment, the whitest and brightest of all known pigments. It boosts white opacity because of how well it scatters light. This quality attracts manufacturers to add it in everything to make things white and bright like sunscreens, cosmetics, paints, and plastics. The pigment grade is also known as titanium white, pigment white 6, or CI 77891.
The decision of the European Commission to ban the use titanium dioxide was based on a 2021 report from an expert panel at the European Food Safety Authority, which reviewed data and studies on titanium dioxide. The panel couldn’t rule out concerns that the food additive might be able to damage DNA and possibly lead to cancer. They explained that after you eat something that has titanium dioxide in it, your body absorbs low levels of its particles – but the particles can build up as you eat more foods with this additive.
The challenge of the month for all of us is to start reading labels and lists of ingredients of everything we consume internally and externally. You might want to have a magnifying glass with you next time you shop as these lists are often printed in tiny font size.
Please don’t forget to share your findings with us. Here is a longer list of dangerous ingredients you can find in the foods and drinks you like.
My Indigo Sun team
Reference:
https://www.webmd.com/diet/titanium-dioxide-in-food
