Home Safety / Compounds / Titanium dioxide

Titanium dioxide in your home: a safety profile

Moderate risk for your home

Not medical or professional safety advice, and not a substitute for a qualified clinician — consult one. Full disclaimer →

TiO2-pigment manufacturing-dust and ultrafine-TiO2-spray-application aerosol exposure; IARC Group 2B for inhalation route based on rodent-pulmonary-tumor data; EU 2020 banned in food (E171) over genotoxicity concerns.

What is titanium dioxide?

The IUPAC name is dioxotitanium.

Also known as: dioxotitanium, Titania, Titanium(IV) oxide, Titanium White.

IUPAC name
dioxotitanium
CAS number
13463-67-7
Molecular formula
O2Ti
Molecular weight
79.866 g/mol
SMILES
O=[Ti]=O
PubChem CID
26042

Risk for your household

Moderate risk

TiO2-pigment manufacturing-dust and ultrafine-TiO2-spray-application aerosol exposure; IARC Group 2B for inhalation route based on rodent-pulmonary-tumor data; EU 2020 banned in food (E171) over genotoxicity concerns.

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Titanium dioxide.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
IARC2010Group 2B — Titanium dioxide is possibly carcinogenic to humans when inhaled (IARC Monograph Volume 93, 2010); the classification applies specifically to fine and ultrafine (nanoparticulate) TiO2 particles inhaled in occupational settings; rat lung tumors occur via lung overload/particle carcinogenesis mechanism at high dust concentrations; limited human evidence from TiO2 industry worker cohorts; in 2021, EFSA concluded that TiO2 as a food additive (E171) can no longer be considered safe — the EU banned TiO2 as a food additive E171 effective October 2022, primarily based on genotoxicity concerns from nanoparticle size fractions in commercial TiO2 food grade material

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where your home encounter titanium dioxide

  • Outdoor Air — Vehicle exhaust, Industrial emissions, Power plant discharge
  • Indoor Air — Combustion byproducts, Office buildings, Parking garages

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Titanium dioxide:

  • Physical/mechanical pest control (IPM)
    Trade-offs: More labor-intensive. May not be sufficient for severe infestations.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is titanium dioxide safe for your home?

TiO2-pigment manufacturing-dust and ultrafine-TiO2-spray-application aerosol exposure; IARC Group 2B for inhalation route based on rodent-pulmonary-tumor data; EU 2020 banned in food (E171) over genotoxicity concerns.

What products contain titanium dioxide?

Titanium dioxide appears in: Vehicle exhaust (Outdoor air); Industrial emissions (Outdoor air); Combustion byproducts (Indoor air); Office buildings (Indoor air).

See Titanium dioxide in the home app

Look up products containing titanium dioxide, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in home View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. IARC Group 2B Titanium Dioxide Vol 93 2010; Lung Overload Rat Bronchioloalveolar Carcinoma Particle Mechanism; EFSA 2021 No Longer Safe Food Additive Genotoxicity Nanoparticle; EU E171 Ban August 2022 Regulation EU 2022/63; France Domestic Ban January 2020 Precautionary; Sunscreen Mineral Physical UV TiO2 Safe Topical Negligible Skin Penetration SCCS; 7 Million Tonnes/Year Global Production White Pigment; Sulfate Chloride Process Rutile Anatase; Photocatalytic OH Radical UV Sunlit Water Algae Daphnia Fish; TiO2 Nanoparticle WWTP Sludge Aggregation Soil; IARC Group 2B Inhaled Only Not Oral (2010) — regulatory

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →