The Berufsgenossenschaft der Chemischen Industrie (Germany’s workers health authority for the chemical industry) has recommended that all iron oxide pigments should be classified as inert fine dusts with an MAK value of 3 mg m-3 [3.46].
Iron oxide pigments produced from pure starting materials may be used as colorants for food and pharmaceutical products [3.47]. Synthetic iron oxides do not contain crystalline silica and therefore are not considered to be toxic, even under strict Californian regulations.