Whatever the brand, taste or colour, we all use toothpaste on a daily basis from a young age. “Large marketing campaigns are regularly launched to persuade us to brush our teeth after every meal. That’s why it’s important that this daily hygiene product, which by definition we put in our mouth, is exempt from dangerous substances, and that it doesn’t make us run useless risks”, the French organisation Agir pour l’environnement (“Act for the Environment”) emphasised.
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The organisation presented the report of the worrying findings of their study; after putting 489 different toothpastes under the microscope, including 59 which were meant for children, it announced that “two thirds of toothpastes contain titanium dioxide”, as well as “one out of two children’s toothpastes”.
Also found under the label TiO2 or E171, titanium dioxide is used as a colouring in toothpaste. The problem: this compound is thought to be cancerous.
“There is no longer a place for it our diet”
As the organisation stated, the scientific community and health agencies have sounded “lots of alarms” on the substance’s toxicity: precancerous lesions of the colon, problems with the immune system and changes to the intestinal wall…” – there’s good reason to worry about it.
“It has been admitted today, as much on a political level as on an economic operator level, . that titanium dioxide no longer has a place in our diet”, Agir pour l’environnement highlighted. Yet “this colourant, the dangers of which are well-known in our diet, is used in other products that we ingest such as toothpaste and medication. And “none of the 271 toothpastes say on their packaging whether that titanium dioxide that is present is in the form of a nanoparticulate”.
To help consumers make a choice, the organisation has listed all the potentially dangerous toothpastes on its website. Anyone who wishes to do so can also help the organisation to find other toothpastes which may also be dangerous for your health.
