Chemicals in tattoo ink face scrutiny from the FDA

There’s a deeply rooted need inside all of us to personalize the everyday items with which we surround ourselves. These personal touches of course vary considerably from one person to the next, but on some level, it’s something each and every one of us does.

For some, it’s as simple as the clothing they wear or the way they choose to style their hair. For others it goes a step further, and includes little things like customized cell phone cases, monographed neckties, or rear car bumpers wallpapered in stickers. For a growing number of young people however, the canvas of choice for these signature touches, is literally the skin they were born in.

Recent surveys show that upwards of 40% of American 20-somethings currently have at least one tattoo. And many of them, in case you hadn’t noticed, are practically covered in them. New research however shows that these self-identifiers many come at a high cost beyond the initial pain and financial investment.

A series of investigative studies spearheaded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (PDF) suggest that many of the inks commonly used in tattoos may have a serious negative long term impact on human health.

Questionable pigment sources of particular interest to the FDA researchers include a variety of dangerous heavy metals, phthalates, and hydrocarbons – all of which are known to act as cancer causing agents. And much of the concern surrounding the possible connection between modern tattoo inks and cancer has been centered on a small number of documented cases in which malignant melonoma and skin tumors were observed in tattooed skin.

That said however, the findings of this recent series of investigations have, so far, proven inconclusive at best.

Tina Alster, Cosmetic Dermatologist & Laser Surgeon, told NPR: “There are some chemicals that have been shown to be injected along with the tattoo inks to make them brighter or even psychedelic. There are some that actually glow in black light… nobody knows for sure what’s really in them. There are some, like cadmium, that are carcinogenic. Others cause granulomas, which is an allergic reaction in the skin.” [1]

Additionally, a 2010 study from the University of Regensburg in Germany found that some of the black tattoo inks are actually made from soot. These black tattoo inks commonly contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs may contain benzo(a)pyrene, a Group 1 carcinogen according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The EPA also classifies it among “the most potent and well-documented skin carcinogens.”

Researchers from the Department of Dermatology, University of Regensburg: “Tattooing with black inks entails an injection of substantial amounts of phenol and PAHs into skin. Most of these PAHs are carcinogenic and may additionally generate deleterious singlet oxygen inside the dermis when skin is exposed to UVA (e.g. solar radiation)” [2]

California and a handful of other states currently require that tattoo shop patrons sign a waver informing them of their pending exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals before going under the needle. This however appears to be doing very little in terms of dissuading customers.

Tattoos, for what it’s worth, have always come with a certain amount of risk. And arguably, it’s this very air of danger that makes them seem so cool to so many people.

The oldest known tattoos date back to at least the neolithic era, roughly 5,000 years B.C. and are believed by many experts to have been created by rubbing ash into accidentally or intentionally created wounds.

Even the word “tattoo” itself has a certain connotation of danger. Taken from the Samoan word “Tatau,” it was originally used to describe a ritually slow, and reportedly very painful variation of the process which relied of barbed sticks to embed pigment under the skin. Severe infection, and even death were not uncommon following the procedure.

Today, even with the added safety and reduced pain offered by modern tattoo machines, the threat of being exposed to tetanus, hepatitis, syphilis and HIV remains very real in some places. And these are just the most serious risks of tattooing. You also have to factor in the risk of infections, allergies, scarring, granulomas and future MRI complications.

Although in most cases these risks can be mitigated simply by choosing a reputable, well-kept tattoo parlor staffed by a quality artist. Which, of course, is just common sense when deciding on something that you intend to wear for the rest of your natural life.

Think before you ink!

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