The Council on Health and Disease Prevention (the Council) defined tattoo ink as a suspension of pigment particles in an aqueous medium, often with the addition of isopropanol. The pigments which give the wanted colour are coloured particles and tend not to combine with, or dissolve with lipids or fats. The particles vary in size between 100 to 800 nanometers and are therefore fit into the definition of nanoparticles.
The oldest pigments used for tattoos came from using ground up minerals and carbon black. Today's pigments contain a plethora of ingredients which could include original mineral pigments, modern industrial pigments, vegetable-based pigments and some plastic-based pigments. Thought Co examined the makeup of tattoos and found that in particular the plastic-based pigments, whilst being very intensely coloured can cause reactions (see:https://www.thoughtco.com/tattoo-ink-chemistry-606170)
Thought Co also examined new inks, such as glow in the dark pigments which react under black (ultraviolet) light and concluded that these pigments are "notoriously risky" with some being safe and others being radioactive or otherwise toxic.
The Council and Thought Co found the industrial inks used to tattoo individuals contained polyaromatic hydrocarbons and primary aromatic amines and metals which included:
- Iron Oxide
- Logwood
- magnetite crystals
- powdered jet
- wustite
- bone black
- amorphous carbon from combustion (soot)
- Ochre (made of ferric oxides mixed with clay)
- Cadmium red
- Cinnabar
- Napthol - AS pigment
- Disazodiarylide and or disazopyrazolone
- cadmium seleno-sulfide
- Cadmium yellow
- Curcuma yellow
- Chrome yellow
- Chromium Oxide
- Malachite
- Ferrocyanides and Ferricyanides
- Lead chromate
- Monoazo pigment
- Cu/Al phthalocyanine
- Cu phthalocyanine
- Azure blue
- Cobalt blue
- Manganese violet
- Aluminium salts
- Quinacridone
- Dioxazine/ carbazole
- Lead carbonate
- Barium sulfate
- Zinc oxide
- Chromium IV
- Nickel
- Lead
- Aluminium
- Aniline
- P-chloraniline
- 3.3 - dichlorbenzidine
- 4-methyl-m-phenylenediamine
- Titanium dioxide
- Copper salts
- Sodium aluminum silicate
- Calcium copper silicate
- Carbon black
- Cobalt aluminum oxides
- Chromium oxides
- Glycerine
- Witch hazel
- Preservatives
Cinnabar and cadmium pigments, which are commonly used in red inks are highly toxic. Both the Council's report and the article from Thought Co recognized that ALL red inks carry with them risks of allergic or other reactions. Copper pigments which are often used to make up blue inks are considerably safer and more stable than cobalt or ultramarine pigments.
Importantly, the Council remarked upon a study which was performed in Denmark and showed that 10% of inks which were tested for the study contained pathogenic bacteria. This is perhaps why preservatives are in use in tattoo inks. That is, to prevent microbial growth in warm conditions. In practice, tattoo inks are not kept in refrigerated storage areas and are often used multiple times by tattooists, which then leads to the introduction of an exterior pathogen. This is added to the risk of 10% of inks having pathogenic bacteria in them from the manufacturing process.
See above for an example of an infection caused by bacteria in ink
The Councils paper noted an analysis report conducted in Denmark which showed there was a massive difference in the labelling of 65 inks purchased from European suppliers. 19 inks did not have a material safety data sheet. Of the remaining inks, where material safety data sheets were provided there was no consistency between the information contained on the actual packaging on the product and the safety sheets.
The study was conducted over 61 colours and found nickel, chromium, copper, barium, lead, cadmium and zinc at levels over those outlined by the Council of Europe.
A study conducted by Anthony L Timko et al titled "In Vitro Quantitative Chemical Analysis of Tattoo Pigments," noted:
"The study showed, not unexpectedly, that individual tattoo inks are complex compounds whose, composition may include organic dyes, metals and solvents. Adding to this complexity, the individual inks are often mixed prior to final manufacturing. Finally, on delivery of the tattoo inks to the artist, it is common for he or she to mix these already complex compounds with other complex pigments. Accordingly, the final color of an in vivo tattoo is often the product of the manufacturer's tendencies and the artist's licence."
This is a real worry because it seems the majority of consideration given to tattoo inks relate to the effects it may have when used outside of the skin. We think this leaves a massive blind spot in terms of the appropriateness of some ingredients when one considers the purpose of the ink is to permanently leave it in the skin. Given there is little to no regulation into the ink used in tattooing, we think the next real question is: Can tattoo ink effect your health?
What effects can tattoo ink have on tattooed individuals?
Some studies indicate the ink used in your skin may change over time and with exposure to sunlight. Photochemical decomposition of pigments may create a new chemical decomposition product. The potential risks which may arise as a result of the chemical composition of tattoos changing over time can include:
- the triggering of allergies;
- exposure to cancer-causing mutagens;
- deleterious effects on your reproductive system; and
- toxic health effects as a result of being exposed to heavy metals.
Allergies are often triggered by the development of haptens forming in the skin over time. The online Oxford dictionary defines a hapten as "a small molecule which, when combined with a larger carrier such as a protein, can elicit the production of antibodies which bind specifically to it (in the free or combined state)." (see: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/hapten). The development of haptens principally occurs in reaction to red ink. This creates a tricky situation when it comes to assessing the risks of tattoo inks and tattooing in general because the ink does not actually contain the allergen itself. This makes it hard for researchers to isolate, measure and exclude the substances in the ink which may cause an allergic reaction.
The raised red on this tattoo indicates an allergic reaction.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recognise that Cadmium, chromium Vi and nickel have been classified as carcinogenic to humans, however, because cancer has been only been seen to develop in the respiratory tract after inhaling these substances, the carcinogenic effect of the abovementioned substances, at least insofar as tattooing is concerned, has been classified as "non-critical".
The IARC has classified lead as "probably carcinogenic to humans" but the European Union does not see it as having a carcinogenic effect. Tumours have been found, but only after exposure to very high dosages. It is for this reason alone the carcinogenic effect was seen to be "non-critical" in respect of the effect of lead in tattoos.
The IARC has reported that there is a general lack of knowledge between the mechanisms and ingredients of tattoos and cancer. It is now widely known that tattoo colours can be transported from the tattooed skin are to the regional lymph nodes where a tumour may occur. The extent to which there is or isn't a connection between tattoos and tumours cannot be assessed on the current knowledge.
Certain copper salts can cause irritation to the skin, although it has been assessed that irritation of the skin is probably not a critical effect of copper in relation to tattoos.
Titanium dioxide often occurs in the form of nanoparticles and it was not possible to assess any health critical effects from these nanoparticles. The same is true of carbon black.
Conclusion
It is best to bear in mind which type of chemicals and heavy metals are likely to be in your tattoo. Red ink is the most reactive in individuals. It may be a good idea if you intend on getting a tattoo with a lot of red to have a test patch of the ink conducted before going for the whole tattoo. Red ink is especially tricky because the allergic reaction occurs as a result of the development of haptens rather than as a direct reaction to a particular chemical constituent in the ink. This is why a test patch may be a good idea.
Natasha Collings
City Tattoo Removalwww.citytattooremoval.com.au
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