Registration Dossier
Registration Dossier
Data platform availability banner - registered substances factsheets
Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.
The new ECHA CHEM database has been released by ECHA, and it now contains all REACH registration data. There are more details on the transition of ECHA's published data to ECHA CHEM here.
Diss Factsheets
Use of this information is subject to copyright laws and may require the permission of the owner of the information, as described in the ECHA Legal Notice.
EC number: 234-679-1 | CAS number: 12023-27-7
- Life Cycle description
- Uses advised against
- Endpoint summary
- Appearance / physical state / colour
- Melting point / freezing point
- Boiling point
- Density
- Particle size distribution (Granulometry)
- Vapour pressure
- Partition coefficient
- Water solubility
- Solubility in organic solvents / fat solubility
- Surface tension
- Flash point
- Auto flammability
- Flammability
- Explosiveness
- Oxidising properties
- Oxidation reduction potential
- Stability in organic solvents and identity of relevant degradation products
- Storage stability and reactivity towards container material
- Stability: thermal, sunlight, metals
- pH
- Dissociation constant
- Viscosity
- Additional physico-chemical information
- Additional physico-chemical properties of nanomaterials
- Nanomaterial agglomeration / aggregation
- Nanomaterial crystalline phase
- Nanomaterial crystallite and grain size
- Nanomaterial aspect ratio / shape
- Nanomaterial specific surface area
- Nanomaterial Zeta potential
- Nanomaterial surface chemistry
- Nanomaterial dustiness
- Nanomaterial porosity
- Nanomaterial pour density
- Nanomaterial photocatalytic activity
- Nanomaterial radical formation potential
- Nanomaterial catalytic activity
- Endpoint summary
- Stability
- Biodegradation
- Bioaccumulation
- Transport and distribution
- Environmental data
- Additional information on environmental fate and behaviour
- Ecotoxicological Summary
- Aquatic toxicity
- Endpoint summary
- Short-term toxicity to fish
- Long-term toxicity to fish
- Short-term toxicity to aquatic invertebrates
- Long-term toxicity to aquatic invertebrates
- Toxicity to aquatic algae and cyanobacteria
- Toxicity to aquatic plants other than algae
- Toxicity to microorganisms
- Endocrine disrupter testing in aquatic vertebrates – in vivo
- Toxicity to other aquatic organisms
- Sediment toxicity
- Terrestrial toxicity
- Biological effects monitoring
- Biotransformation and kinetics
- Additional ecotoxological information
- Toxicological Summary
- Toxicokinetics, metabolism and distribution
- Acute Toxicity
- Irritation / corrosion
- Sensitisation
- Repeated dose toxicity
- Genetic toxicity
- Carcinogenicity
- Toxicity to reproduction
- Specific investigations
- Exposure related observations in humans
- Toxic effects on livestock and pets
- Additional toxicological data
![](https://echa.europa.eu/o/diss-blank-theme/images/factsheets/A-REACH/factsheet/print_toxicological-information.png)
Repeated dose toxicity: inhalation
Administrative data
- Endpoint:
- sub-chronic toxicity: inhalation
- Type of information:
- experimental study
- Adequacy of study:
- weight of evidence
- Reliability:
- 3 (not reliable)
- Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:
- significant methodological deficiencies
- Remarks:
- Concentrations tested exceeded the maximum tolerated dose (MTD)
Data source
Reference
- Reference Type:
- publication
- Title:
- Unnamed
- Year:
- 2 002
Materials and methods
Test guideline
- Qualifier:
- no guideline followed
- Principles of method if other than guideline:
- Six-week old female Fischer rats were exposed to 10, 50, or 250 mg/m³ titanium dioxide for 6 hours/day, 5 days/week for 13 weeks with recovery groups held for an additional 0, 4, 13, 26 or 52 weeks post-exposure. A vehicle control group was run concurrently. At each time point TiO2 burdens in the lung and lymph nodes and selected ling responses were examined.
- GLP compliance:
- not specified
- Limit test:
- no
Test material
- Reference substance name:
- Titanium dioxide
- EC Number:
- 236-675-5
- EC Name:
- Titanium dioxide
- Cas Number:
- 13463-67-7
- Molecular formula:
- O2Ti
- IUPAC Name:
- dioxotitanium
- Test material form:
- solid: particulate/powder
Constituent 1
Test animals
- Species:
- rat
- Strain:
- Fischer 344
- Remarks:
- CDF (F344)/CrlBR
- Sex:
- female
- Details on test animals or test system and environmental conditions:
- TEST ANIMALS
- Source: Charles River Breeding Laboratories, Wilmington, MA
- Age at study initiation: six weeks
- Housing: stainless-steel cages
- Diet: ad libitum, NIH07 cereal-based diet
- Water: ad libitum
- Acclimation period: 9 days
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
- Temperature: 64-79 °F
- Humidity (%): 40-60
Administration / exposure
- Route of administration:
- inhalation: aerosol
- Type of inhalation exposure:
- whole body
- Vehicle:
- air
- Mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD):
- 1.44 µm
- Geometric standard deviation (GSD):
- 1.71
- Details on inhalation exposure:
- GENERATION OF TEST ATMOSPHERE / CHAMBER DESCRIPTION
- Exposure apparatus: 1 m³ H-1000 stainless steel chambers
- System of generating particulates/aerosols: aerosol generation was accomplished using a dust feeder
- Method of particle size determination:
The particle size distribution of the aerosol was measured at least twice per exposure level (excluding the control chambers) during the courde of the study. Measurements were made using a MOUDI impactor (micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor, model 100, MSP Corporation, MN)
TEST ATMOSPHERE
- Brief description of analytical method used:
Target chamber concentrations of p-TiO2 aerosol were 10, 50 and 250 mg/m3 and the actual particle concentration in each chamber was monitored using a Real Aerosol Monitor (RAM). Mean (± SD) particle concentrations over the exposure period were as follows: 9.6 ± 1.1, 47.7 ± 5.1, and 239.1 ± 19.3 mg/m3. During exposures, particle concentrations were continuously monitored using light scatter (Model RAM-S, Monitoring Instruments for the Environment), and the time-averaged concentration was recorded at least six times over the 6-h exposure period.
- Analytical verification of doses or concentrations:
- yes
- Details on analytical verification of doses or concentrations:
- Please refer to the field "Details on inhalation exposure" above.
- Duration of treatment / exposure:
- - 13 weeks treatment
- Post-exposure recovery period: 0, 4, 13, 26 or 52 weeks of recovery - Frequency of treatment:
- 6 h/day, 5 days/week
Doses / concentrationsopen allclose all
- Dose / conc.:
- 10 mg/m³ air (nominal)
- Dose / conc.:
- 50 mg/m³ air (nominal)
- Dose / conc.:
- 250 mg/m³ air (nominal)
- No. of animals per sex per dose:
- 65 (only females)
- Control animals:
- yes
- Positive control:
- none
Examinations
- Observations and examinations performed and frequency:
- CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS: Yes
BODY WEIGHT: Yes
- Time schedule for examinations: prior to exposure, weekly for the first 17 weeks, and biweekly thereafter
BRONCHOALVEOLAR LAVAGE FLUID (BALF): Yes
- Time schedule for analysis: end of treatment
- Dose groups that were examined: all
- Number of animals: all
- Parameters checked: Cell differential counts were performed on Wright-Giemsa-stained cytocentrifuge slide prepa- rations. LDH and total protein levels in cell-free fluid from the first two pooled lavages were quantitated spectrophotometrically using a COBAS FARA II automated analyzer.
LUNG BURDEN: Yes
- Time schedule for analysis: end of treatment
- Dose groups that were examined: all
- Number of animals: all
- Parameters checked: minimum detectable concentrations (MDC) of TiO2 in pulmonary tissues
CELL PROLIFERATION
Five days prior to euthanasia, animals were subcutaneously implanted with osmotic pumps (Alza. Palo Alto. CA) containing bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU; Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO). At necropsy, left lungs were pressure-infused intratracheally (2with 10% neutral-buffered formalin. Lungs were fixed for approximately 48 h and then changed to 70% ethanol. Subsequently, the lungs were embedded in paraffin, sectioned and stained for BrdU. Terminal bronchiolar and alveolar cell labeling indices were determined fot each animal. - Sacrifice and pathology:
- GROSS PATHOLOGY: No data
HISTOPATHOLOGY: Yes
Paraffin-embedded left lung tissues were sectioned and stained with Masson's trichrome. The trichrome-stained lung sections were evaluated for particle-induced histopathologic changes. - Statistics:
- All data were tested for normality and homogeneity of variance. If the hypotheses for these assumptions were rejected (p < 0.01), common transformations (e.g., log, square root, arc sine) were applied and the data retested. Comparisons to controls were made using Dunnett's test.
Results and discussion
Results of examinations
- Clinical signs:
- not specified
- Mortality:
- mortality observed, non-treatment-related
- Body weight and weight changes:
- effects observed, non-treatment-related
- Description (incidence and severity):
- Rats exposed to the high concentration of TiO2 demonstrated a consistent pattern of elevated weights (less than 10%), compared to controls, during the latter half of the recovery period. No obvious cause for this weight elevation was evident.
- Food consumption and compound intake (if feeding study):
- not examined
- Food efficiency:
- not examined
- Water consumption and compound intake (if drinking water study):
- not examined
- Ophthalmological findings:
- not examined
- Haematological findings:
- not examined
- Clinical biochemistry findings:
- not specified
- Urinalysis findings:
- not examined
- Behaviour (functional findings):
- not examined
- Immunological findings:
- not examined
- Organ weight findings including organ / body weight ratios:
- not examined
- Gross pathological findings:
- not examined
- Neuropathological findings:
- not examined
- Histopathological findings: non-neoplastic:
- effects observed, treatment-related
- Description (incidence and severity):
- The mid- and high-dose rats had a variety or lung lesions associated with retained p-TiO2 particles. Particles and particle-laden alveolar macrophages were most numerous in centriacinar lung regions, although in the high-dose animals there was a more diffuse panacinar distribution at the end of the 13-week exposure period. While the nature of the epithelial lesions was similar in mid- and high-dose animals, there were significant differences in lesion severity. The number of particle-laden macrophages observed individually and in aggregated was much greater in the high-dose animals.
Although most particles were retained intraluminally, a minimal to mild interstitial accumulation of particle-laden macrophages was present in mid- and high-dose rats and remained over the course of the 52-week recovery. Immediately post-exposure, both mid- and high-dose rats had alveolar hypertrophy and hyperplasia of type II epithelial cells surrounding aggregations of particle-laden macrophages. These lesions were generally minimal to mild in mid-dose and mild to moderate in high-dose animals. In both of these exposure concentration groups at this time point, histological evidence of chronic active inflammation was noted by the infiltration of neutrophils. Histological recognition of neutrophil infiltrates diminished in mid-dose rats by four weeks recovery although they persisted throughout the 52-week recovery period in the high-dose rats.
High-dose animals developed more severe alveolar type II cell hypertrophy and hyperplasia and alveolar metaplasia that were associated with septal fibrosis and interstitialization of particles, often within macrophages. These lesions were noted by four weeks postexposure, were prominent at the 26-week time point, and progressed through the 52-week recovery time point. In some instances, the alveolar lumens in lesion areas were characterized by lipoproteinosis and cholesterol cleft development. Lesions in both mid- and high-dose animals were scattered throughout the lung lobes.
Airway lesions in rats consisted of minimal bronchiolar hypertrophy in mid-dose animals that did not progress over time of recovery and mild to moderate bronchiolar hypertrophy and hyperplasia in high-dose animals with progressive bronchiolization in areas with lesions. - Histopathological findings: neoplastic:
- not examined
- Other effects:
- effects observed, treatment-related
- Description (incidence and severity):
- LUNG BURDEN:
- Dose-related changes in lung burdens observed; particle burdens decreased in the lung with time postexposure
- the lymph node TiO2 burdens of the animals exposed to 250 mg/m3 demonstrated the greatest increase between 4 and 13 weeks after exposure ended
-CYTOLOGY:
- number of recovered macrophages in high-dose group was significantly elevated
- postexposure recovery resulted in a decline in the number of macrophages recovered by lavage; although these values remained significantly elevated over concurrent controls in rats of the high-dose group at 52 weeks postexposure
- increased proportions of neutrophils , with increasing time after exposure there was a diminution in number of neutrophils in rats of mid-and high dose group, although the number of neutrophils remained significantly elevated over contrls at the 52-week postexposure
-significant elevated levels of lymphocytes, which remained so at the end of the 52 weeks postexposure period
PULMONARY TOXICITY END POINTS:
- persistant elevation of LDH in BALF of mid-and high dose group; those in the mid-dose group had returned to control levels by 26 weeks postexposure
- elevated levels of total protein in BALF of mid and high dose group, remained elevated through 52 weeks postexposure
LUNG CELL REPLICATION:
- increased terminal bronchiolar cell replication in high dose group, returned to control level by 4 weeks postexposure
- increased alveolar cell replication in high dose group, remained through 52 weeks postexposure
Effect levels
- Key result
- Dose descriptor:
- NOAEC
- Effect level:
- 10 mg/m³ air (nominal)
- Based on:
- test mat.
- Sex:
- female
- Basis for effect level:
- other: Lung burden, BALF, inflammation
Target system / organ toxicity
- Key result
- Critical effects observed:
- not specified
Applicant's summary and conclusion
- Conclusions:
- Titanium dioxide showed adverse pulmonary effects in rats, mice and hamsters after repeated inhalation studies only at concentrations above the maximum tolerated dose (MTD)
- Executive summary:
Female rats were exposed to 10, 50, or 250 mg/m3 titanium dioxide (p-TiO2) particles for 6 h per day and 5 days per week for 13 weeks with recovery groups held for an additional 4,13,26, or 52 weeks post-exposure . Beside rats, mice and hamsters were exposed in the same manner using the same concentrations. At each time point p-TiO2 burdens in the lung and lymph nodes and selected lung responses were examined. The responses studied were chosen to assess a variety of pulmonary parameters, including inflammation, cytotoxicity, lung cell proliferation, and histopathologic alterations. Burdens following exposure were greatest in mice. Rats and hamsters had similar lung burdens immediately post-exposure. Particle retention data suggested that pulmonary overload was achieved in both rats and mice at the exposure levels of 50 and 250 mg/m3. Under the conditions of the present study, hamsters were better able to clear particles than were similarly exposed mice and rats. Pulmonary histopathology revealed both species and concentration-dependent differences in p-TiO2-particle retention patterns. Inflammation was noted in all three species at 50 and 250 mg/m3, as evidenced by increases in macrophage and neutrophil numbers and in soluble indices of inflammation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In mice and rats, the BALF inflammatory responses remained elevated relative to controls throughout the entire post-exposure recovery period in the most highly exposed animals. In comparison, inflammation in hamsters eventually disappeared, even at the highest exposure dose, due to the more rapid clearance of particles from the lung. Pulmonary lesions were most severe in rats, where progressive epithelial- and fibroproliferative changes were observed in the 250 mg/m3 group. The study clearly shows that the high and mid doses clearly exceed the maximum tolerated concentration by overwhelming physiological clearance mechanisms.
Information on Registered Substances comes from registration dossiers which have been assigned a registration number. The assignment of a registration number does however not guarantee that the information in the dossier is correct or that the dossier is compliant with Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (the REACH Regulation). This information has not been reviewed or verified by the Agency or any other authority. The content is subject to change without prior notice.
Reproduction or further distribution of this information may be subject to copyright protection. Use of the information without obtaining the permission from the owner(s) of the respective information might violate the rights of the owner.
![ECHA](/o/diss-blank-theme/images/factsheets/A-REACH/factsheet/echa_logo.png)