CSPI to Consumers: Avoid Titanium Dioxide

WASHINGTON, D.C. — It adds a bright white color to coffee creamers, baked goods, chewing gums, hard-shell candies, puddings, frostings, dressings and sauces. But the nanoparticles found in "food-grade" titanium dioxide may accumulate in the body and cause DNA damage, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest  — which is one way chemicals cause cancer and other health problems. 

For that reason, CSPI has graded titanium dioxide as a food additive that consumers should seek to "avoid." Scientists at the nonprofit nutrition and food safety watchdog group published a new entry for titanium dioxide in its Chemical Cuisine database of food additives.

In 2021, the European Food Safety Authority concluded that titanium dioxide is no longer safe in foods due to the same concerns over nanoparticles. As a result, titanium dioxide is now banned as a food additive in the EU. Although studies have shown that the absorption of ingested titanium dioxide is low, evidence suggests that titanium dioxide nanoparticles can accumulate in the body over time, CSPI said. Health Canada deemed it safe in 2022 but noted concerns. Unlike their European counterparts, Canadian officials did not consider studies performed with titanium dioxide nanoparticles alone, according to CSPI.

"Unlike some other chemicals used in food, titanium dioxide has no nutritive, preservative, or food safety function—its use is purely cosmetic," said CSPI principal scientist for additives and supplements, Thomas Galligan. "The prospect of titanium dioxide nanoparticles damaging DNA is concerning enough for us to recommend consumers avoid foods that have it."

CSPI said it might reconsider its rating if specifications for food-grade titanium dioxide in the U.S. are updated to ensure nanoparticles are minimized, and new studies are conducted to assess its capacity to cause cancer or other health problems.