After pesticides, heavy metals and forever chemicals, yet another substance must be added to the toxic cocktail to monitor in our bodies: titanium dioxide, which is suspected of being a potential carcinogen for humans. Titanium dioxide particles have been detected in breast milk, infant formula and commercially sold animal milk, according to research by scientists from the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), the AP-HP Paris public hospital network and the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). The study was published on Wednesday, July 23, in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

These findings are all the more alarming given that titanium dioxide has been banned as a food additive – the widely criticized E171 coloring – in France since 2020, and across Europe since 2022. Though it was long used as a white pigment and opacifier in food – particularly in candy, chewing gum, biscuits and ice cream – titanium dioxide continues to be widely employed in a multitude of everyday products: medication, toothpaste, sunscreen and makeup, as well as food packaging, paint, paper and more.

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