An announcement has been made by Dunkin' Donuts that it is dropping titanium dioxide from its list of ingredients after an environmentalist group said that it can cause DNA and chromosomal damage and is also unsafe for human use.

According to the group, titanium dioxide is a nanomaterial that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned. The chain said that titanium dioxide is not a nonmaterial, but still took the decision to remove the chemical.

The company revealed that this step is not going to change the look of its baked goods. According to experts, titanium dioxide is utilized so that the powdered sugar can appear brighter. It is also used in sunscreen and paints.

"This is a groundbreaking decision. Dunkin' has demonstrated strong industry leadership by removing this potentially harmful ingredient from its donuts", said Danielle Fugere, president and chief counsel of the group, As You Sow.

According to Dunkin' Donuts, titanium dioxide does not fulfill the definition of 'nanomaterial' as per the guidelines of the FDA. Shareholder proposals have been introduced by the group at companies calling for the elimination of titanium dioxide from various products. About 19% of Dunkin' Brands' shareholders supported such a resolution in 2014.

A letter that a Dunkin executive sent to the group has also been released. In the letter, the executive mentioned that it has reformulated the powered sugar and was working to make the new recipe.

Last year with Dunkin, the group filed a request and asked for an investigation of its nanomaterials usage by November 2015. According to earlier studies, it has been shown that nanomaterials pose DNA and chromosomal damage, inflammation, organ damage, brain damage and genital malformations, among other dangers

According to Fugere, Dunkin has made a decision so that it can protect its customers and its bottom line, by staying away from use of an unproven and potentially harmful ingredient.