Think before you ink: 1 in 5 tattoo inks in Australia contain carcinogenic chemicals.

The report found 471 different tattoo inks likely to be used in Australia made up of 89 unique chemicals. They interviewed 22 professional tattoo artists and sourced 49 specific tattoo inks likely to be used in Australian tattoo parlours for detailed chemical analysis. More than one in five contained carcinogens, and only four complied with European safety standards. The major concern was the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a group of chemicals known to be carcinogens. PAHs were found in more than one-fifth of the samples tested and in 83% of the black inks tested. Other questionable components included barium, copper, mercury, amines and various colourants. One ink was even sold and used for tattooing when the container label said it was not intended for this purpose. According to the NICNAS, removing the tattoos may not help since the chemicals can undergo “photodegradation” with exposure to solar radiation and lasers, which are used for tattoo removal. This means that instead of the chemicals being trapped under the skin, they are released into the body. So what does all this mean? The truth is we don’t really know what, if any, long term health effects go with having tattoo ink injected into human skin. Hopefully the report from NICNAS is an important first step towards controlling the use of unsafe inks.

Think before you ink: 1 in 5 tattoo inks in Australia contain carcinogenic chemicals.

The report found 471 different tattoo inks likely to be used in Australia made up of 89 unique chemicals. They interviewed 22 professional tattoo artists and sourced 49 specific tattoo inks likely to be used in Australian tattoo parlours for detailed chemical analysis.

More than one in five contained carcinogens, and only four complied with European safety standards. The major concern was the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a group of chemicals known to be carcinogens. PAHs were found in more than one-fifth of the samples tested and in 83% of the black inks tested. Other questionable components included barium, copper, mercury, amines and various colourants. One ink was even sold and used for tattooing when the container label said it was not intended for this purpose.

According to the NICNAS, removing the tattoos may not help since the chemicals can undergo “photodegradation” with exposure to solar radiation and lasers, which are used for tattoo removal. This means that instead of the chemicals being trapped under the skin, they are released into the body.

So what does all this mean? The truth is we don’t really know what, if any, long term health effects go with having tattoo ink injected into human skin. Hopefully the report from NICNAS is an important first step towards controlling the use of unsafe inks.