Inner surface flaking.

I have a White Knight tumble dryer with a vent hose. I can’t remember exactly how long I’ve had it but its at least 5 years. I’ve realised today that what I thought was white flakes from forgotten paper tissues is actually the white covering from inside the front of the machine.

I can’t actually see this, from feeling inside the machine I’m confident that’s what it is.

My question is, does this make the machine unsafe to use and is it likely to affect how it works in future.. Bits of this gather in the lint catcher as well as in the dry washing, but I empty the lint catcher after every drying session and of course the bits on the washing are shaken away.