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Comparative toxicity of a food additive TiO2, a bulk TiO2, and a nano-sized P25 to a model organism the nematode C. elegans

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Abstract

To help fill the knowledge gap regarding the potential human health impacts of food pigment TiO2, a comparative toxicity study was performed on a food-grade TiO2 (f-TiO2), a bulk TiO2 (b-TiO2), and a nano-sized TiO2 (Degussa P25), and in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Acute phototoxicity and chronic toxicity effects including reproduction, lifespan, and vulval integrity were evaluated. The f-TiO2, b-TiO2, and P25 had a primary particle size (size range) of 149 (53–308) nm, 129 (64–259) nm, and 26 (11–52) nm, respectively. P25 showed the greatest phototoxicity with a 24-h LC50 of 6.0 mg/L (95% CI 5.95, 6.3), followed by the f-TiO2 (LC50 = 6.55 mg/L (95% CI 6.35, 6.75)), and b-TiO2 was the least toxic. All three TiO2 (1–10 mg/L) induced concentration-dependent effects on the worm’s reproduction, with a reduction in brood size by 8.5 to 34%. They all caused a reduction of worm lifespan, accompanied by an increased frequency of age-associated vulval integrity defects (Avid). The impact on lifespan and Avid phenotype was more notable for P25 than the f-TiO2 or b-TiO2. Ingestion and accumulation of TiO2 particles in the worm intestine was observed for all three materials by light microscopy. These findings demonstrate that the food pigment TiO2 induces toxicity effects in the worm and further studies are needed to elucidate the human health implication of such toxicities.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge C. Yuan and S. Hardcastle for helping with particle size characterization and K. Svoboda for helping with C. elegans worm imaging. This research was supported by start-up funds to H. Ma from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Hongbo Ma & Kade A. Lenz

  2. Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Xianfeng Gao

  3. Mid-Continent Ecology Division, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Duluth, MN, USA

    Shibin Li & Lindsay K. Wallis

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  1. Hongbo Ma
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  2. Kade A. Lenz
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  4. Shibin Li
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Correspondence to Hongbo Ma.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Ma, H., Lenz, K.A., Gao, X. et al. Comparative toxicity of a food additive TiO2, a bulk TiO2, and a nano-sized P25 to a model organism the nematode C. elegans. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 3556–3568 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3810-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3810-4

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