The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Nanoparticles endanger health: EU warns against titanium dioxide in food

2021-08-05T15:47:19.246Z


Titanium dioxide is found in many foods and medicines. The substance is considered to be hazardous to health. How can that be? The overview.


Titanium dioxide is found in many foods and medicines.

The substance is considered to be hazardous to health.

How can that be?

The overview.

Munich - Whether when consuming food supplements or chewing gum, whether in medication or even in toothpaste - titanium dioxide can be found in many everyday products.

The fabric provides a brilliant white and lets products shine in a new shine, so to speak.

Not more but also not less.

At least that was the status before the warning from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

The agency of the European Union (EU) considers the use of titanium dioxide in food to be no longer safe.

It cannot be ruled out that the dye is mutagenic.

Even though titanium dioxide has been used for decades.

Suspected health effects on humans: Controversial titanium dioxide is contained in many products

As the

ARD

business

magazine Plusminus

reports, products that contain titanium dioxide must be labeled accordingly.

Often the dye would only be listed under the designation E171, alternatively CI.

Basically, there has been a suspicion for a number of years that the substance is harmful to human health.

"This substance should not have been approved at all, because it is actually reserved for substances that have a real function in the food and are of benefit to consumers," says Martin Rücker in this context.

However, the former managing director of the non-profit ideal association

Foodwatch

does not

see any benefit

here.

The use of titanium dioxide would be “a purely visual effect,” says Rücker.

Titanium dioxide is particularly dangerous when it occurs in the form of nanoparticles.

Gerhard Rogler, Director of the Clinic for Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University Hospital Zurich, knows about this.

Nanoparticles in titanium dioxide can trigger inflammatory reactions - large titanium dioxide lobby prevents ban in the EU

“If you ingest these nanoparticles, which slide down into the lower small and large intestines, they are not absorbed further up.

And there it is, if the intestinal barrier, if the mucous layer is thin, then they can penetrate directly into the intestinal wall, trigger inflammatory reactions, but also go through, ”says Gerhard Rogler.

In his opinion, the dye should have been banned long ago.

Rogler does not only refer to food, but generally to all the products through which the substance is absorbed.

France is a pioneer in this regard - and has at least banned titanium dioxide in food in 2020.

Due to a large and strong titanium dioxide lobby in Brussels, however, a general, timely ban of the substance in the EU is not to be expected.

Lobby expert Vicky Cann from the non-governmental organization (NGO)

Corporate Europe Observatory is

convinced of this.

According to her, the titanium dioxide lobby has already “invested millions.

We know they hired the largest PR agency in Brussels to help them.

We know that they are actively addressing key people and members of parliament in Brussels ”.

Analysis of products with titanium dioxide: In some cases high values ​​found - affected manufacturers react

When

Plusminus asked

the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) why titanium dioxide was not banned, the

ARD

business magazine received the following answer: “The decisive factor for the actions of our ministry was and is the scientific risk assessment.

In 2019 there was no scientific basis for changing the approval of titanium dioxide as a food additive ".

And the status quo? On behalf of

Plusminus

, a laboratory in Wuppertal is investigating the titanium dioxide content in various products, including toothpaste and dietary supplements. The result? Terrifyingly high. According to the laboratory, two of the products examined had “a significantly higher proportion of nanoparticles from the titanium dioxide”. These are cocoa powder and white sugar sprinkles. There is talk of 84 and 67 percent respectively.

After all: As

Plusminus was

informed, the cocoa powder manufacturer will take the product out of the range. This is equivalent to a recall. And the manufacturer of the sugar sprinkles affected also wants to replace the titanium dioxide with another substance. Our brand new consumer newsletter will keep you up to date on consumer information and product recalls.

Source: merkur

All life articles on 2021-08-05

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.