Advanced Search
Nanotech Project

Dove Powder

Website

Date Added

31 January 2013

Company

Country of Origin

Country of Production

Categories

Subcategories

"To fill the knowledge gap about the sources of humans' exposures, the researchers bought and tested food, personal care products, paints and adhesives and measured how much titanium dioxide they contain. The group found that children consume more titanium dioxide than adults do because sweets like candies, marshmallows and icing are among the products with the highest levels. The paper lists the names of the products tested and their titanium dioxide content. Westerhoff recommends that regulators shift their focus from the type of titanium dioxide used in paints and industrial processes to food-grade particles, because those are much more likely to enter the environment and pose a potential risk to humans and animals."

"This study quantifies the amount of titanium in common food products, derives estimates of human exposure to dietary (nano-) TiO2, and discusses the impact of the nanoscale fraction of TiO2 entering the environment. The foods with the highest content of TiO2 included candies, sweets, and chewing gums. Among personal care products, toothpastes and select sunscreens contained 1% to >10% titanium by weight. While some other crèmes contained titanium, despite being colored white, most shampoos, deodorants, and shaving creams contained the lowest levels of titanium (<0.01 μg/mg). For several high-consumption pharmaceuticals, the titanium content ranged from below the instrument detection limit (0.0001 μg Ti/mg) to a high of 0.014 μg Ti/mg. Electron microscopy and stability testing of food-grade TiO2 (E171) suggests that approximately 36% of the particles are less than 100 nm in at least one dimension and that it readily disperses in water as fairly stable colloids. However, filtration of water solubilized consumer products and personal care products indicated that less than 5% of the titanium was able to pass through 0.45 or 0.7 μm pores. Two white paints contained 110 μg Ti/mg while three sealants (i.e., prime coat paint) contained less titanium (25 to 40 μg Ti/mg). This research showed that, while many white-colored products contained titanium, it was not a prerequisite. Although several of these product classes contained low amounts of titanium, their widespread use and disposal down the drain and eventually to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) deserves attention. A Monte Carlo human exposure analysis to TiO2 through foods identified children as having the highest exposures because TiO2 content of sweets is higher than other food products and that a typical exposure for a US adult may be on the order of 1 mg Ti per kilogram body weight per day. Thus, because of the millions of tons of titanium-based white pigment used annually, testing should focus on food-grade TiO2 (E171) rather than that adopted in many environmental health and safety tests (i.e., P25), which is used in much lower amounts in products less likely to enter the environment (e.g., catalyst supports, photocatalytic coatings)." Weir et al (2012)

Nanomaterials

Functions of Nanomaterial

Location of Nanomaterial

Potential Exposure Pathways

Related Products (similar nanomaterials and/or categories)

Banana Boat Sunscreen Lip Balm

Company: Banana Boat

Category: Health and Fitness > Personal Care

Origin: USA

Nanomaterial: Titanium dioxide

How much we know: Category 5 (Not advertised by manufacturer)

Gillete Foamy Regular

Company: Gillette

Category: Health and Fitness > Personal Care

Origin: USA

Nanomaterial: Titanium dioxide

How much we know: Category 5 (Not advertised by manufacturer)

Head and Shoulders 2 in 1 Shampoo

Company: Head and Shoulders

Category: Health and Fitness > Personal Care

Origin: USA

Nanomaterial: Titanium dioxide

How much we know: Category 5 (Not advertised by manufacturer)

Infiniti Nano Silver by Conair™ Straightener

Company: Conair

Category: Health and Fitness > Cosmetics
Category: Health and Fitness > Personal Care

Origin: USA

Nanomaterials: Iron, Platinum, Silver, Titanium dioxide

How much we know: Category 4 (Unsupported claim)

Nano Magic White Body

Company: Soxton Enterprise

Category: Health and Fitness > Personal Care

Origin: Malaysia

Nanomaterials: Titanium dioxide, Zinc oxide

Nano Salon Pro 2000

Company: FHI Heat

Category: Health and Fitness > Cosmetics
Category: Health and Fitness > Personal Care

Origin: USA

Nanomaterials: Silver, Titanium, Titanium dioxide

How much we know: Category 4 (Unsupported claim)

Nano Weight Pro 1800

Company: FHI Heat

Category: Health and Fitness > Cosmetics
Category: Health and Fitness > Personal Care

Origin: USA

Nanomaterials: Silver, Titanium, Titanium dioxide

How much we know: Category 4 (Unsupported claim)

Nano Weight Pro 1900 Turbo

Company: FHI Heat

Category: Health and Fitness > Cosmetics
Category: Health and Fitness > Personal Care

Origin: USA

Nanomaterials: Silver, Titanium, Titanium dioxide

How much we know: Category 4 (Unsupported claim)

Nano-in Body Freshness Control

Company: Nano-Infinity Nanotech Co., Ltd.

Category: Health and Fitness > Personal Care

Origin: Taiwan

Nanomaterials: Titanium dioxide, Zinc oxide

How much we know: Category 4 (Unsupported claim)

Neutrogena Pure and Free Baby

Company: Neutrogena

Category: Health and Fitness > Personal Care

Origin: USA

Nanomaterial: Titanium dioxide

How much we know: Category 5 (Not advertised by manufacturer)

View all 22 related products →