REAL LIFE NEWS FOLLOW-UP: MORE ON TITANIUM OXIDE
by Hazed
In the last news I told you about some new water- and dirt-repelling paint that could mean we never have to wash clothes or cars again. One of the ingredients of this magic substance is titanium dioxide, and already has a lot of uses.
It is the naturally occurring oxide of titanium, and when it’s used as a pigment it is called titanium white. It’s used in paint, cosmetics and sunscreen – and, more surprisingly, in food as a colouring.
Its use is not without controversy. It has been officially classed as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. Oh no, that means it will give you cancer, doesn’t it? Well no, not really. What it means is that very high exposure to titanium dioxide dust was found to cause cancer in rats. Theoretically, that could mean those involved in the production or packing of the substance, who inhale large amounts, could be at risk, but no studies have shown any increased risk of cancer amongst those exposed to titanium oxide dust as part of their occupation.
So no need to panic.
However, thanks to a campaign from a public interest group, Dunkin Donuts is dropping the use of titanium dioxide from its powdered sugar donuts – not because there’s any proof it causes harm, but for public relations reasons!
It’s worth pointing out that the list of things that are classed as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” includes coffee! But such is the hysteria about evil chemical substances, there doesn’t have to be any truth in a health scare for it to cause a company to drop its use.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_dioxide
http://money.cnn.com/2015/03/10/news/companies/dunkin-donuts-titanium-dioxide/index.html
