The EU has announced the abolition of the carcinogenic label of titanium dioxide, adding new momentum to Chinese exports

On December 5, according to the Titanium Dioxide Industry Branch of the China Coating Industry Association, titanium dioxide (titanium dioxide) has been successfully removed from the classification of carcinogens under the efforts of European coating manufacturers.

From 2019 to 2021, the European Commission amended (EC) No 1223/2009 for several times to gradually tighten the restrictions on the concentration and conditions of titanium dioxide use. In February 2022, the European Parliament and the Council amended Annexes II and III of Regulation (EC) 1333/2008 on the food additive Titanium dioxide (E171), which, after a six-month transition period, banned titanium dioxide as a food additive in the European Union. In the meantime, the British Board of Toxicology commented on E(171); The US Food Chemical Reassessment Act of 2021 requires the safety of ten additives (including titanium dioxide) to be reassessed, including titanium dioxide.

It is understood that the China Coating Industry Association attaches great importance to the above issues, and guide the China Coating Industry Association titanium dioxide branch to establish a project team, the focus of the domestic and foreign key titanium dioxide enterprises, toxicology research institutions, organized the domestic titanium dioxide and titanium dioxide product types, production process, toxicity data and other forms a system report, Sent a letter to IPPIC(World Coatings Council, now renamed WCC) and discussed in many international conferences. In conjunction with the Department of Chemicals of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, a special research meeting was held to discuss the provisions of the European Commission (EC) No 1223/2009. Based on the data information of all parties, the following policy recommendations were put forward: Titanium dioxide is a stable chemical substance, and there is no reliable evidence to prove its carcinogenicity. As for the conclusion that lung cancer caused by feeding mice is mainly caused by the inhalation of large dose of titanium dioxide dust, which is essentially different from the carcinogenicity of the substance itself. Therefore, our country has not made the prohibition of titanium dioxide regulations.

In addition, China Coating Industry Association through the World Coating Council and the Ministry of Ecological Environment and other channels to respond to the material and suggestions, also further influenced the EU identification of this issue.

In fact, titanium dioxide itself is not carcinogenic, only in some specific environment, with a specific aggregation form, a specific shape, a specific particle size and a specific amount of titanium dioxide is absorbed, there will be a risk of cancer. Therefore, the court of Justice of the European Union concluded that the previous claim that titanium dioxide caused cancer was not based on much.

From the carcinogenic substances to remove titanium dioxide (titanium dioxide), the most direct result of the coating industry, is to better implement the common concept of green sustainable development, the coating industry to achieve the purpose of safety, and for powder coating enterprises, product packaging does not have to be “because of suspected carcinogenic” words caused by the loss and impact.

Zhou Lei, secretary general of the National Chemical Industry Productivity promotion Center, believes that the European Union announced the abolition of titanium dioxide (titanium dioxide) carcinogenic, let us once again confirm that titanium dioxide is now the world’s best performance of a kind of white inorganic pigment, and has non-toxic, the best opacity, the best whiteness and brightness, An inert inorganic compound used as a white pigment in many industrial applications.

Gong Jiazhu analysis said that the existing exports of titanium dioxide 1.3 million tons, in addition to the market growth, is almost to seize the European, the United States, Japan and other developed countries of titanium dioxide production enterprises market, said rice bowl is too much. However, it is worth noting that most of our titanium raw materials market outside, once friction, import blocked, titanium ore soaring, the cost advantage will be gone, it is about our double cycle of the outer cycle can be smooth, I hope not to appear.

Yan titanium industry analyst Yang Xun believes that titanium dioxide removed the carcinogenic label, on the one hand is conducive to the export of Chinese titanium dioxide to EU countries. Without this layer of restrictions, the European Union countries in the process of communication and negotiation is a lot less restrictions, for the arrival of Chinese titanium dioxide in the European Union countries is very favorable, I believe that China titanium dioxide with the past cost-effective advantages, can seize a lot of market share; On the other hand, it is beneficial for EU countries to use China’s cost-effective titanium dioxide. For a long time many countries in the European Union are using China’s titanium dioxide, now clarified China’s titanium dioxide without “cancer”, the actual European Union users are greater beneficiaries, and can use China’s high cost performance titanium dioxide.

After this incident, titanium dioxide producers should strengthen the control of product quality. At the same time, the quality of titanium white powder in our country has a great promotion.