Current Issues in the Practical Use of Titanium Dioxide
On 4 May 2022, the first multidisciplinary seminar on the frequently media-misrepresented topic of the use and safety of titanium dioxide took place in Prague. Experts from various fields assessed the safe use of titanium dioxide from many different angles. The main focus was on its use and the recent classification of its powdered form with an inhalable particle size.
There are practically no hazardous titanium dioxide products on the market.
As stated by Dr Pikal, head of research at the leading TiO2 manufacturer Precheza and chairman of the analytical section of the global association of TiO2 manufacturers – TDMA, practically all forms to which the classification would apply have been withdrawn from the market by manufacturers. Manufacturers and customers share a common interest – to use only high-quality and safe products containing this substance. As all the speakers agreed, the use of titanium dioxide to improve the environment brings a qualitative leap forward, and unnecessary and unfounded nano-hysteria must be avoided.
TiO2 photocatalytic technology addresses even the most serious environmental problems with practically no risk.
Dr Jan Procházka, member of the Academic Assembly of the Czech Academy of Sciences, permanent guest of the Parliamentary Committee for Science and Research (-2021), lifetime member of the Electrochemical Society, member of TNK 144 (nanomaterials), member of the technical working group of the Ministry of Industry and Trade / member of the TWG for WGC BREF – (development of European legislation for the treatment of waste gases from the chemical industry (WGC)), member of DECHEMA, chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Nanotechnology Association, member of the Presidium of the ČSAF, holder of the highest national and foreign honours for contributions to international science and research, author of more than 200 patents in the field of nanomaterials and TiO2, introduced those present to the wide-ranging use of titanium dioxide for environmental improvement and evaluated the enormous benefits of photocatalytic technology in raising living standards compared with its practically negligible risks.
All forms of TiO2 are safe; the legislation applies only to powdered materials with an aerodynamic diameter below 10 micrometres (the inhalable fraction).
Ing. Alena Krejčová, Svaz chemického průmyslu ČR – sekretář Výboru pro management chemických látek a výboru pro průmyslová hnojiva, člen pracovní skupiny CEFIC a Rady Národního centra pro toxické látky, představila existující stav legislativy vztahující se k TiO2, konkrétně k jeho jediné formě – prášku s aerodynamickým průměrem pod 10 mikrometrů. Všechny ostatní formy jsou, jak uvádí legislativa netoxické a zcela bezpečné.
The application of the precautionary principle has firm rules set by European legislation and it cannot be used as a deliberate shield to manipulate the rules of the market.
The chairman of the ČSAF, Mgr. Pavel Šefl, devoted his presentation to a legal analysis of the frequently misused precautionary principle, noting that some civil servants, acting individually or hiding behind state institutions in the Czech Republic, are breaching the law on free public competition and effectively torpedoing innovative enterprise in an unlawful manner. This reported and potentially illegal activity is all the more serious because, during the state of emergency, it prevented an effective defence of the population against the SARS-COV-2 virus and the COVID-19 disease.
The quality of TiO2 products can be reliably measured
Dr Pavel Kejzlar, Technical University of Liberec – head of the Laboratory of Applied Photocatalysis, demonstrated to those present the capabilities of TUL for testing the properties of photocatalytic products and raised some questions regarding the use of existing standards.
Titanium dioxide in its nanoform is safe for lung cells
Dr Rössner from the Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences – head of the Department of Nanotoxicology and Molecular Epidemiology, addressed the methodology for assessing toxicity and the results of his research, in which he compares the effects of various materials on lung cells, including TiO2. His conclusion is unequivocal – titanium dioxide is the only inert, insoluble substance studied that has no negative effect on lung cells.
Source: https://fotokatalyza.org/clanky/novinky/probehla-konference-k-bezpecnosti-tio2-a-fotokatalyzy.html
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