Environ Anal Health Toxicol.  2021 Sep;36(3):e2021022. 10.5620/eaht.2021022.

Evaluation of potential eye or skin irritation/corrosion in rabbit exposed to TiO2 photocatalyst (GST)

• Kim SH
• Park Mk
• Seol JK
• Im JM
• Park HS
• Seo HS
• Park HJ
• Nah SS

• KMID: 2521973
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5620/eaht.2021022

Abstract

TiO₂ NPs photocatalyst is widely used in a variety of applications and products in the environmental and energy fields, including self-cleaning surfaces, air and water purification systems, sterilization, hydrogen evolution, and photoelectrochemical conversion. The possible biological and safety effects of TiO₂ dermal exposure and absorption have not been well studied and more investigations on the potential health hazards of the TiO₂ are needed. This study aimed to investigate potential effect of local lesions (eye and skin irritation/corrosion) for new TiO₂ material powder, GST produced through sludge recycling of the sewage treatment plant in according to the OECD test guideline (TG 404, 405) and imaging evaluation (micro-computed tomography analysis), histopathology examination. Also, P-25, commercial photocatalyst was used to compare with GST. For the eye or skin irritation/corrosion test, the test substances (GST, P-25) showed no irritation/corrosion for local lesions and the GHS category was identified as a “No hazard class”. The imaging analysis indicated that GST did not penetrate or distribute in the local lesions (eye, skin) and the treatment-related effect was not observed in histopathology. Therefore, the present study revealed that new TiO₂ powder, GST was considered to be no potential effects (irritation/corrosion), penetration or distribution in the local lesions (eye, skin).

Keyword

Skin; Eye; Irritation; Corrosion; TiO2; GST