Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Food and Personal Care Products—What Do We Know about Their Safety?

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Abstract

Titanium dioxide (TiO ₂) is a material of diverse applications commonly used as a food additive or cosmetic ingredient. Its prevalence in products of everyday use, especially in nanosize, raises concerns about safety. Current findings on the safety of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO ₂ NPs) used as a food additive or a sunscreen compound are reviewed and systematized in this publication. Although some studies state that TiO ₂ NPs are not harmful to humans through ingestion or via dermal exposure, there is a considerable number of data that demonstrated their toxic effects in animal models. The final agreement on the safety of this nanomaterial has not yet been reached among researchers. There is also a lack of official, standardized guidelines for thorough characterization of TiO ₂ NPs in food and cosmetic products, provided by international authorities. Recent advances in the application of ‘green-synthesized’ TiO ₂ NPs, as well as comparative studies of the properties of ‘biogenic’ and ‘traditional’ nanoparticles, are presented. To conclude, perspectives and directions for further studies on the toxicity of TiO ₂ NPs are proposed.

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‘Green’ synthesis of metals and their oxide nanoparticles: applications for environmental remediation

Jagpreet Singh, Tanushree Dutta, Ki-Hyun Kim … (2018)

In materials science, “green” synthesis has gained extensive attention as a reliable, sustainable, and eco-friendly protocol for synthesizing a wide range of materials/nanomaterials including metal/metal oxides nanomaterials, hybrid materials, and bioinspired materials. As such, green synthesis is regarded as an important tool to reduce the destructive effects associated with the traditional methods of synthesis for nanoparticles commonly utilized in laboratory and industry. In this review, we summarized the fundamental processes and mechanisms of “green” synthesis approaches, especially for metal and metal oxide [e.g., gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper oxide (CuO), and zinc oxide (ZnO)] nanoparticles using natural extracts. Importantly, we explored the role of biological components, essential phytochemicals (e.g., flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, amides, and aldehydes) as reducing agents and solvent systems. The stability/toxicity of nanoparticles and the associated surface engineering techniques for achieving biocompatibility are also discussed. Finally, we covered applications of such synthesized products to environmental remediation in terms of antimicrobial activity, catalytic activity, removal of pollutants dyes, and heavy metal ion sensing.

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Titanium dioxide nanoparticles in food and personal care products.

Alex Weir, Paul Westerhoff, Lars Fabricius … (2012)

Titanium dioxide is a common additive in many food, personal care, and other consumer products used by people, which after use can enter the sewage system and, subsequently, enter the environment as treated effluent discharged to surface waters or biosolids applied to agricultural land, incinerated wastes, or landfill solids. This study quantifies the amount of titanium in common food products, derives estimates of human exposure to dietary (nano-) TiO(2), and discusses the impact of the nanoscale fraction of TiO(2) entering the environment. The foods with the highest content of TiO(2) included candies, sweets, and chewing gums. Among personal care products, toothpastes and select sunscreens contained 1% to >10% titanium by weight. While some other crèmes contained titanium, despite being colored white, most shampoos, deodorants, and shaving creams contained the lowest levels of titanium (<0.01 μg/mg). For several high-consumption pharmaceuticals, the titanium content ranged from below the instrument detection limit (0.0001 μg Ti/mg) to a high of 0.014 μg Ti/mg. Electron microscopy and stability testing of food-grade TiO(2) (E171) suggests that approximately 36% of the particles are less than 100 nm in at least one dimension and that it readily disperses in water as fairly stable colloids. However, filtration of water solubilized consumer products and personal care products indicated that less than 5% of the titanium was able to pass through 0.45 or 0.7 μm pores. Two white paints contained 110 μg Ti/mg while three sealants (i.e., prime coat paint) contained less titanium (25 to 40 μg Ti/mg). This research showed that, while many white-colored products contained titanium, it was not a prerequisite. Although several of these product classes contained low amounts of titanium, their widespread use and disposal down the drain and eventually to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) deserves attention. A Monte Carlo human exposure analysis to TiO(2) through foods identified children as having the highest exposures because TiO(2) content of sweets is higher than other food products and that a typical exposure for a US adult may be on the order of 1 mg Ti per kilogram body weight per day. Thus, because of the millions of tons of titanium-based white pigment used annually, testing should focus on food-grade TiO(2) (E171) rather than that adopted in many environmental health and safety tests (i.e., P25), which is used in much lower amounts in products less likely to enter the environment (e.g., catalyst supports, photocatalytic coatings).

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Titanium dioxide nanoparticles: a review of current toxicological data

Hongbo Shi, Ruth Magaye, Vincent Castranova … (2013)

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) are manufactured worldwide in large quantities for use in a wide range of applications. TiO2 NPs possess different physicochemical properties compared to their fine particle (FP) analogs, which might alter their bioactivity. Most of the literature cited here has focused on the respiratory system, showing the importance of inhalation as the primary route for TiO2 NP exposure in the workplace. TiO2 NPs may translocate to systemic organs from the lung and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) although the rate of translocation appears low. There have also been studies focusing on other potential routes of human exposure. Oral exposure mainly occurs through food products containing TiO2 NP-additives. Most dermal exposure studies, whether in vivo or in vitro, report that TiO2 NPs do not penetrate the stratum corneum (SC). In the field of nanomedicine, intravenous injection can deliver TiO2 nanoparticulate carriers directly into the human body. Upon intravenous exposure, TiO2 NPs can induce pathological lesions of the liver, spleen, kidneys, and brain. We have also shown here that most of these effects may be due to the use of very high doses of TiO2 NPs. There is also an enormous lack of epidemiological data regarding TiO2 NPs in spite of its increased production and use. However, long-term inhalation studies in rats have reported lung tumors. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the toxicology of TiO2 NPs and points out areas where further information is needed.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Nanomaterials (Basel)

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Nanomaterials (Basel)

Journal ID (publisher-id): nanomaterials

Title: Nanomaterials

Publisher: MDPI

ISSN (Electronic): 2079-4991

Publication date (Electronic): 04 June 2020

Publication date Collection: June 2020

Volume: 10

Issue: 6

Electronic Location Identifier: 1110

Affiliations

[1 ]Chair and Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Grunwaldzka 6, 60-780 Poznań, Poland; joanna.musial@ 123456student.ump.edu.pl

[2 ]Chair and Department of Chemical Technology of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Grunwaldzka 6, 60-780 Poznań, Poland; rlkrakowiak@ 123456gmail.com (R.K.); tomasz.goslinski@ 123456ump.edu.pl (T.G.)

Author notes

[* ]Correspondence: mlynarczykd@ 123456ump.edu.pl (D.T.M.); bstanisz@ 123456ump.edu.pl (B.J.S.); Tel.: +48-61-854-6633 (D.T.M.)

Author information

Joanna Musial https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5487-3523

Rafal Krakowiak https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4082-0647

Dariusz T. Mlynarczyk https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3583-0752

Tomasz Goslinski https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5705-5414

Beata J. Stanisz https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4611-7039

Article

Publisher ID: nanomaterials-10-01110

DOI: 10.3390/nano10061110

PMC ID: 7353154

PubMed ID: 32512703

SO-VID: 5f768b5e-94ac-4dd4-b103-2fe60e6f3e07

License:

Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Food and Personal Care Products—What Do We Know about Their Safety?

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Most cited references 124

‘Green’ synthesis of metals and their oxide nanoparticles: applications for environmental remediation

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles in food and personal care products.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles: a review of current toxicological data

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