The Court of Justice of the European Union canceled the classification of titanium dioxide as a carcinogenic substance, but France contests this decision and announces an appeal.
- In food products, titanium dioxide is called E171.
- It is mainly used to make products whiter or brighter, but also to opacify.
- It is found in toothpaste, confectionery and sunscreen.
It is a material with multiple uses. Titanium dioxide is used as a food additive, but also in the manufacture of paint, cosmetics, toothpaste and construction products. It was classified as a carcinogen by the European Union in 2017, but the decision was canceled last November, following appeals filed by industrialists. This cancellation is now contested by the French government, in a communicated of the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
Titanium dioxide: France, long committed to its ban
Several scientific studies have shown that titanium dioxide could cause cancer. In France, the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety initiated the project to classify it as a carcinogenic substance.
Thus, in a document published in 2017, the agency specifies the effects of the substance: “EDue to its physico-chemical properties, respiratory exposure to titanium dioxide (TiO2), at a certain level of concentration, can lead to pulmonary overload and lead to an inflammatory reaction, causing proliferative lesions“Importantly, studies in rats have shown a link between inhalation exposure and the development of malignancies.”In humans, the carcinogenic nature remains debated due to the methodological limits of the available epidemiological studies., says the document. But France is committed to its ban. As of January 1, 2020, it suspended the marketing of foodstuffs containing TiO2, “before the European Commission announced the generalization of this ban to the whole of the European Union in October 2021 due to persistent doubts about the safety of this additive“, specifies the French government.
Titanium dioxide: what is France asking for?
In November 2022, the court of the Court of Justice of the European Union overturned the classification of the substance as a suspected carcinogen. The French government contests this decision and considers that “the General Court exceeded the limits of its judicial review by carrying out its own evaluation and interpretation of the scientific data”. In its press release, the Ministry of Ecological Transition speaks of a “setback in terms of protecting the health of European citizens and workers who handle this substance“. For these various reasons, the State appealed in order to “reaffirm the hazard properties of titanium dioxide“, wishing its definitive classification as a carcinogenic substance. This step has a suspensive effect on the judgment rendered by the court, which makes this classification always effective.
