Photo credit:
eyeliam, flickr
Is tattoo ink toxic? The real question is, who knows? Not surprisingly, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is legally positioned to regulate tattoo safety, it has not chosen to do so until very recently. There's not much information or guidance out there.
Sharp-eyed consumers in California might spot warnings on web sites, catalogs and tattoo inks stating that "inks contain many heavy metals, including lead, arsenic and others" and that the ingredients have been linked to cancer and birth defects. The labels are required as the result of a lawsuit invoking California’s Proposition 65, which requires warnings before exposure to chemicals causing cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. The American Academy of Dermatology says tattoo inks may contain industrial organic pigments, including azo and polycyclic compounds, as well as aluminum, calcium, copper, iron, phosphorous, silica, sulfur, titanium dioxide and barium. Also spotted on ink ingredient lists: lead, arsenic, antimony, beryllium, chromium, cobalt and nickel.
The effects of putting these pigments under your skin is questionable. Are these ingredients harmful when injected as tattoos? Does the way the body handles tattoos change or negate any effects from the ingredients? We just don't know. Common sense would tell us to take precautions when dealing with elements we know to be toxic. The American Environmental Safety Institute (AESI) AESI states that the ink used for an index card sized (3” by 5”) tattoo contains 1.23 micrograms of lead, which is more than double the amount permitted per day under California’s Proposition 65.
Our best advice: do a little digging before you commit to a tattoo, to be certain you're comfortable with what you're choosing to put under your skin. We've dug up a few links for more reading.
- Agriculture Guide Tattooed greenies: what's really lurking under your skin?
- About.com Tattoo ink chemistry
- About.com Tattoo inks: what you don't know could hurt you
- NaturalNews.com The truth about tattoos: health risks, toxicity and more
- American Academy of Dermatology Black henna tattoos can cause serious skin reactions
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*gulp*
I probably have more exposure to heavy metals through my job than I do from my two tats. :)
It's all very well talking about birth defects - how do we know these weren't induced in a guinea pig or a bunny forced to eat her body weight in ink? There are some extremely tattooed people around who look thoroughly healthy. Wouldn't Lucky Rich be keeling over by now?
A significant portion of the tattooed population are Unaware . To this day, a significant portion of the tattooed population are unaware of the fact that inks and the pigments in them have been unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration.
For more information visit : Agriculture Guide - Tattoo are there truly green options ?
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