New OELS Recommended for Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles

On 4 March 2021, The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), announced that it is recommending an eight-hour occupational exposure limit (OEL) of 0.80 micrograms per cubic metre  (µg/m³) for titanium dioxide nanoparticles. It was also recommended that the use of nanoparticles should not exceed 4.0 µg/m³ over a 15-minute period. 

Compliance with new recommendations “should help prevent lung inflammation, an effect that occurs at the lowest exposure concentrations”, said ANSES. 

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles are best known for their ability to block UV while remaining transparent. They account for 70% of the total production volume of pigments globally, and are used in a range of lotions and cosmetics, including sunscreen. They are also found in paint, cement, medications, toothpaste, plastic and food.  

Inhalation of titanium dioxide nanoparticles can lead to lung toxicity and inflammation. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified titanium dioxide nanoparticles as a Group 2B carcinogen, “possibly carcinogenic to humans”.

For more information, click here. The original press release is also available in French.