Tattoos are incredibly popular these days. But do persons getting a tattoo actually know what's in the tattoo inks? Are they safe?
Unfortunately, the answer is that the inks are underregulated. A recent study found that many of the ingredients are not listed on the tattoo ink label. Only since 2022 has a law been passed giving the FDA oversight, but so far nothing much has happened.
A recent study by Binghamton Univ. researchers found that found that when they examined 54 tattoo inks from 9 manufacturers in the US, they found that 45 of them contained unlisted additives and/or pigments. More than half contained the unlisted ingredient polyethylene glycol, which can cause organ damage through repeated exposure. Other unlisted ingredients were propylene glycol, 2-phenoxyethanol (health risks to nursing infants), and azo containing dyes. Many of the unlisted ingredients posed possible allergic or other health risks.
The researchers only looked at additives present in large amounts (2000 parts per million or ppm). Once again European regulations are stricter with oversight down to 2 ppm.
Much is still unknown about health effects from the inks in tattoos. But it is known that there is persistent inflammation and also that some particles in dyes migrate to the lymph nodes in the body. Colorful tattoo inks can contain toxic elements such as nickel, chromium, cadmium, aluminum.
From Ars Technica: Caveat emptor: 90% of tattoo inks have unlabeled or mislabeled ingredients
If you live in the US and are planning on getting a tattoo any time soon, we've got some potentially unwelcome news. Many common commercial tattoo inks have either different ingredients than those listed on the label or additional substances that are not listed at all, according to a new paper published in the journal Analytical Chemistry. And there are other scientific studies suggesting that some of those ingredients could have adverse health effects, either in the form of allergic reactions or skin or other cancers.