When testing several batches of face masks intended to be put on sale as personal protective equipment (PPE), the consumers’ association ‘Adiconsum Veneto’ found that approximately 70% of them – mainly surgical masks – contained titanium dioxide (TiO2) in quantities ranging from 100 ppm to 2000 ppm.

TiO2 has been defined by the IARC as being ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’ when inhaled and, in 2017, a study conducted by the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) showed – for the first time – that chronic exposure to TiO2, through ingestion, causes ‘early stages of carcinogenesis’(1).

PPE is now used every day across the world as the main way to curb the spread of COVID-19. In view of the above:

1. Will the Commission conduct, through the relevant agencies, in-depth studies to assess the risks of continued and prolonged exposure of the respiratory system to TiO2, in order to define its maximum permissible concentration in the PPE on sale in the single market?