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Oxygen Deficiency and Resistive Switching Mechanisms

In their role as risk managers, the European Commission and Member States will now reflect on EFSA’s scientific advice and decide upon any appropriate regulatory measures or advice for consumers.

From dyes to flavorings, many people are becoming increasingly aware of the ingredients in their food.

There are two primary forms of titanium dioxide commercially available: anatase and rutile. The rutile form is typically used in sunscreens due to its superior ability to handle UV rays and stability in the presence of UV light. The anatase form is typically used in other types of products, such as paint. Another plus of the rutile form is that its UVA protection extends past 400 nanometers, which is the upper limit of UVA.

Scientists analyzed research that examined how titanium dioxide nanoparticles interact with the brain for a 2015 review published in Nanoscale Research Letters. The researchers wrote: “Once the TiO2 NPs are translocated into the central nervous system through [certain] pathways, they may accumulate in the brain regions. For their slow elimination rates, those NPs could remain in the brain zones for a long period, and the Ti contents would gradually increase with repeated exposure.” After reviewing dozens of studies, the scientists concluded: “Long-term or chronic exposure to TiO2 nanoparticles could potentially lead to the gradually increased Ti contents in the brain, which may eventually induce impairments on the neurons and glial cells and lead to CNS dysfunction as a consequence.”

For research published in 2022 study in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, scientists examined “the genotoxicity and the intracellular reactive oxygen species induction by physiologically relevant concentrations of three different TiO2 nanomaterials in Caco-2 and HT29-MTX-E12 intestinal cells, while considering the potential influence of the digestion process in the NMs’ physiochemical characteristics.” They found a “DNA-damaging effect dependent on the nanomaterial,” along with the micronucleus assay suggesting “effects on chromosomal integrity, an indicator of cancer risk, in the HT29-MTX-E12 cells, for all the tested TiO2 nanomaterials.” Researchers concluded that the results showcase “evidence of concern” regarding titanium dioxide used as a food additive.

The ingredient in question? Titanium dioxide.

Some people have concerns about the safety of titanium dioxide because of reports linking it to cancer.

We've used titanium dioxide safely for decades. However, recently its safety was called into question. 
 
At CRIS, we've explored the safety of titanium dioxide for nearly half a decade, including conducting double-blind research to test the safety of food-grade titanium dioxide (E171). Our study shows that when exposed to food-grade titanium dioxide in normal conditions, research animals did not experience adverse health outcomes.
 
It's important to emphasize that in a National Institutes of Health study, experimental animals were exposed to titanium dioxide in amounts as high as 5% of their diet for a lifetime and showed no evidence of adverse effects. 
 
A handful of studies greatly influenced the decisions made by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Unfortunately, these studies did not consider that titanium dioxide exposure comes from food, not drinking water. Additionally, CRIS researchers could not reproduce the adverse outcomes identified by the studies through typical food ingestion. Regardless, the EFSA banned E171 as a food ingredient and for use in other capacities in the summer of 2022.
 
In 2022, the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada maintained that the scientific evidence supports that titanium dioxide (E171) is safe for humans to use and consume.

A significant body of research, mostly from rodent models and in vitro studies, has linked titanium dioxide with health risks related to the gut, including intestinal inflammation, alterations to the gut microbiota, and more. It is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Group 2B, as possibly carcinogenic to humans.