Titanium dioxide

The classification only applies to products in powder form, so anyone brushing or roller applying liquid paints cannot be affected.

The powder form of TiO2 presents no risk in a paint. It is not volatile, cannot be absorbed through the skin and consumers and professionals using paint cannot be exposed to lung overload of the dust particles of TiO2.

The classification will introduce new label statements for liquid paints by October 2021 including:

EUH211: ‘Warning! Hazardous respirable droplets may be formed when sprayed. Do not breathe spray or mist’.

The TiO2 in the wet or dry paint on your hand does not represent any risk. It cannot be absorbed through the skin. Under normal use conditions it is always advised by the supplier to avoid skin contact with any wet paint by wearing gloves. Cleaning your hands of any splashed paint (whether still wet or dry) in a timely manner is recommended (as it always has been).

Yes. TiO2 is a solid particle that is embedded into a solid polymer layer on the painted surface. There is no risk of these particles loosening from the dried film, hence no chance of inhaling or ingesting these particles.

Sanding an old paint layer creates paint dust; however, it does not result in free TiO2 particles. Such sanding dust is a mixture of all the solid ingredients in the paint and are held together by a polymer structure in which the TiO2 particles are firmly embedded.

Pre-1960s houses may have been painted in lead-containing paints

We always recommend that, as a general precaution you should avoid inhaling any dust by wearing an appropriate dust mask with a particulate filter when sanding.

TiO2 has been commercially available for around 100 years. Over this period, extensive studies of workers in the TiO2 manufacturing industry have found no evidence of an increased risk of carcinogenicity.

There are no realistic alternatives to TiO2 available. No other pigment gives anywhere near the same performance, such as opacity, brightness and durability. You would have to apply at least 3 times as much paint with the nearest alternative to get the same covering i.e. 6 coats rather than 2. Titanium is the ninth most abundant element in the world and TiO2 is the oxide of the metal, which occurs naturally in rocks and ores.