Europe or the definition of titanium dioxide as carcinogenic coatings faces impact
Europe or the definition of titanium dioxide as carcinogenic coatings faces impact
A few days ago, a European in the field of environment, workplace, and food is committed to protecting human health research institute issued a suggestion: titanium dioxide (Ti02, titanium dioxide) is defined as demanded by the carcinogens.
French food environment and occupational health and security administration (ANSES) in the file shows that titanium dioxide is often used in coatings, building materials and other industrial and consumer goods, according to the research results, Suggestions to it as a through inhalation may cause cancer of class 1 b carcinogen.
The European chemical authority (ECHA) released the ANSES submission on May 31, 2016, to include titanium dioxide in a uniform classification of harmful substances.
The document is currently being asked for input from eu countries as of July 15, 2016. After that, ECHA will have 18 months to consider and give the commission a final proposal.
Titanium dioxide, a white inorganic pigment derived from rocks and minerals, has been used in many products for decades.
According to the national chemical industry productivity promotion center of titanium white sub-center, according to the ECHA CLP regulations (the classification of the material/mixture, labels and packaging), if the ANSES will titanium dioxide as a class 1 b (human carcinogens) proposal is accepted, then all contain titanium pigment coating within the scope of the European Union may be classified as carcinogens, affected by the countries will involve 28 eu member states and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
And CLP regulations listed in 1 a and 1 b carcinogen in use is restricted in the field of consumption, which means that the formula contains titanium dioxide coating may exit from consumer retail sectors, and can only be sold to professional users.
Moreover, once the European commission formally approved the document, environmental groups and governments around the world will likely referring to the classification of the eu, so the global coatings market will hit!
For ANSES this document, the European chemical industry council, a non-profit organization titanium dioxide manufacturers association (TDMA) issued a response to the statement, said its six years ago has been classified evaluation was studied for the titanium dioxide, according to the assessment, within the scope of the eu chemicals REACH regulations, "based on the assessment of scientific and effective study, titanium dioxide should not to be included in any form of toxic substances in the classification". In addition, an epidemiological research results are the same as the conclusion, this study investigated 15 titanium pigment manufacturing factory, 20000 workers decades of working condition, the results show that often exposed to the titanium pigment and there is no harm to their health.
TDMA said it would release new findings and research on the product in time. It also said it would "carefully review" France's proposals and provide detailed responses to the ECHA public consultation.
According to the China titanium dioxide industry technical innovation strategy alliance, a paper from the international agency for research on cancer (IARC) has studied the carcinogenicity of titanium dioxide.
The paper points out that the United States and Europe in 1970 and 2000 respectively in the process of titanium dioxide production, occupational exposure workers in identifying the level of titanium dioxide dust environment, although the "land clearing" and "maintenance" related to occupational exposure level is very high, but the highest "packaging" and "grinding" process of titanium dioxide, occupational exposure in "can inhale dust" the average level of 6 mg/m3 (geometric mean), but then the standard were ignored. There is no available data to define or quantify the standard of occupational exposure to "ultra-fine titanium dioxide" dust. However, the workers at the titanium dioxide production plant were exposed not only to the titanium dioxide dust, but also to the mineral powder, dust, acid and asbestos fibers.
While North America and Western Europe countries conducted a series of three "epidemiological cohort study and a set of population-based case-control study to evaluate whether the titanium dioxide can lead to human cancer this topic. The largest group of "epidemiological cohort studies" was a survey of workers in the titanium dioxide industry, from six European countries, all of them white men. The survey showed that these workers had an increased risk of lung cancer compared with the general population. In the survey, however, there was no evidence of an "exposure response". These workers, compared with ordinary people, showed no increase in mortality due to kidney cancer, but showed a mild "exposure response". Investigation in the other two groups was performed in the United States, the two groups of investigation are not reported that whether there is a higher incidence of lung cancer or other cancers, also does not have the kidney cancer related reports, presumably because this case is less.
All in all, as happened in recent decades in Western Europe and north American countries, investigation and study found no occupational exposure in titanium dioxide environment and increase the direct relationship between cancer risk.
In addition, there are experimental data analysis on the carcinogenic effects of titanium dioxide.
The carcinogenicity of titanium dioxide in rats was tested by using "titanium dioxide" and "ultrafine titanium dioxide". To expose rats and female mice to "inhalation exposure"; Give the hamster, the female rats and the mice "endotracheal medicine"; Give the rats "subcutaneous injection"; Give male mice and female rats "intraperitoneal injection".
In a group of "inhaled exposure experiments", the incidence of "lung tumors" (benign and malignant) in female rats was elevated. In another group of "high dose inhalation exposure experiments", the incidence of "benign lung tumors" increased in both male and female rats. In this group of high dose inhalation exposure experiment, female rats with squamous cell carcinoma, was diagnosed with "cystic keratinization disease", but was later return to "the lung tumor keratinization cyst". Both groups of rats and female mice had "inhaled exposure experiments" that proved negative results.
Give a rat "endotracheal medication" after the experiments in the use of two kinds of titanium dioxide, show the female rats with benign lung tumors and malignant lung tumor incidence increased at the same time, the hamster and female mice with lung cancer rates did not rise.
No significant increase in the incidence of any tumor was found in groups of rats and mice who were given "stomach injections", "subcutaneous injections" and "intraperitoneal injection".
While humans may be inhaled, swallowed or skin contact ways exposed in titanium dioxide, but people in after titanium dioxide inhalation lung clearance kinetics and lab animals are different. (generally speaking, "particle characteristics" and "host factors" affect the depositional mode of titanium dioxide after inhalation; Particles that are difficult to dissolve in water, such as titanium dioxide, are classified as carbon black. The research data of people inhaling titanium dioxide are mainly from case report. These data show that titanium dioxide is mainly deposited in the "alveolar tissue" and "lymphoid tissue".
A oral titanium dioxide clinical research shows that not only gastrointestinal tract can according to the titanium dioxide particles size and selective absorption, and the titanium dioxide content in the blood can also be related to particle size. The study also showed that the "ultrafine titanium dioxide" used in sunblock is safe for human skin and that titanium dioxide can only penetrate the skin's most superficial cells, the "cuticle". Therefore, healthy skin can effectively prevent titanium dioxide from infiltrating into the body. There is no data on whether the damaged skin can also effectively prevent titanium dioxide infiltration.
Indeed, several groups of the existing research, according to the survey were exposed workers, titanium dioxide powder inhalation of titanium dioxide directly lead to the body after a series of pathological changes, including lung function failure, pleural plaques and pleural thickening, slight alveolar tissue fibrosis, etc. Of course, in these investigations, workers were also directly exposed to "asbestos" and "silicon dioxide".
Titanium dioxide causes different levels of "inflammation" and lung related diseases, including "damaged lung epithelial cells", "cholesterol granulomas" and "fibrosis". In animal experiments, the rodents were exposed to "super thin titanium dioxide" and the lungs were more likely to have lesions than the "titanium dioxide" environment. The difference is caused by the difference in the pressure of the surface area to the animal's lungs, and is also thought to be the result of the separation of the dielectric from the "ultrafine titanium dioxide".
The Fine titanium dioxide particles are extremely low toxicity compared to other particles. In high concentrations, Ultrafine titaniumd ioxide particles can block the phagocytosis of alveolar macrophages. But that would not happen if it were replaced with "extremely fine titanium dioxide".
In the test tube, the DNA was destroyed by "titanium dioxide" and "ultra-fine titanium dioxide" and "purified DNA". The results showed that the two substances were highly oxidized. This reaction is more powerful than "very thin titanium dioxide", especially in sunlight or ultraviolet radiation.
The "intraperitoneal injection" of mice and rats showed that the mice had increased "micronucleus" and "peripheral blood lymphocytes". The rats had a "genetic mutation" in the "lung adenocytes". The mice were not found to have been oxidized by the rat's lung tissue, which gave the rats "endotracheal drugs".
The China titanium white powder industry technical innovation strategy alliance will continue to focus on this policy and related research progress.
