Titanium dioxide (E 171) is a food additive that is widely used in foods and confectionery as a whitening agent. A French proposal has been issued to set a mandatory EU classification of titanium dioxide as a 1B inhalation carcinogen. If adopted, such classification would heavily impact further use of titanium dioxide. On February 2, 2017, the Chemical Watch reported that in addition to the ongoing classification proposal, new findings conducted by the French National Institute of Agricultural Research revealed that titanium dioxide particles crossed the rat gut barrier and reached the liver. They were also found in the lymphoid tissue of the small intestine, where they upset the immune system by altering the number of dendritic cells and triggering imbalances in immune responses.
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