19 April 2019

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France Bans Cancer Causing Titanium dioxide E171 used in Cake, Toothpaste, sweets

France Bans Cancer Causing Titanium dioxide E171 used in Cake, Toothpaste, sweets
Friday, 19 April, 2019

France Bans Cancer Causing Food Additive Titanium dioxide E171 used in Food items.

Titanium dioxide, also known as titanium (IV) oxide or Titania, is the naturally occurring oxide of titanium, chemical formula TiO
When used as a pigment, it is called titanium white, Pigment White 6 (PW6), or CI 77891.
Generally, it is sourced from ilmenite, rutile and anatase. It has a wide range of applications, including paint, sunscreen and food coloring.
When used as a food coloring, it has E number E171.

The whitener E171 is also frequently added to sweets and cake icing, as well as paint, toothpaste and sunscreen.

France has banned a controversial additive from its food over safety concerns, officials have announced.

Titanium dioxide, which is added to chewing gum, chocolate and packet sauces to make them white, will no longer be permitted in the country as of next year.
This comes after a 2017 review into the additive, which appears as E171 on labels, failed to guarantee its safety.

A study revealed rats had a 40 per cent increase in precancerous growths when the additive was added to their water for 100 days.

And research in a lab model suggested E171 damages our intestine, which allows harmful bacteria to enter our digestive system and prevents the absorption of nutrients.

The health and safety agency AMSES was subsequently asked to review 25 studies looking into the ingredient.

The suspected cancer-causing chemical has been shown to cross the intestinal wall of animals into their lungs and liver following 'oral exposure'.

And research in a lab model suggested E171 damages our intestine, which allows harmful bacteria to enter our digestive system and prevents the absorption of nutrients

The health and safety agency AMSES was subsequently asked to review 25 studies looking into the ingredient.

They concluded there is a 'lack of scientific data' proving the additive is safe for humans and 'no acceptable daily intake could be set', the French economy and environment ministries announced in a joint statement yesterday.

'In particular, no acceptable daily intake could be established for this additive due to lack of data.'

What is E171 and in Which Food Products Items E171 gets added?

When Titanium dioxide used as a food coloring, it has E number E171.
It is added as a white coloring to chewing gum, packet sauces and chocolate.

E171 is also found in some paint, toothpaste and varnish.

And it is added to sunscreen due to its molecules' ability to reflect UV rays.

Researchers from France and Luxembourg claim titanium dioxide was approved in the US in 1996 at levels of no more than one per cent of a food's weight.

France's ban does not apply to non-food products. For example, E171 will continue to be permitted in sunscreen due to its ability to reflect UV rays.

However, some remain concerned the chemical may be absorbed through the skin.

The ban also does not apply to medicines, with E171 sometimes being added to tablets to make them opaque.

Daily mail reported that The French confectionery brand Lutti has removed E171 from its products

And the supermarket chain Casino has not sold products that contain E171 since the end of the last year.

Its director Claire Luquet said: 'In a toothpaste for children, the white color was not good [without E171], so we decided to no longer make the paste with white and blue stripes, and just have an entirely blue toothpaste.'

'We had a biscuit that had a soft milk filling, but the color was not attractive [without E171]. So we made the choice to simply remove the product [from our shelves].'

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