Are tattoos harmful to one's health? Scientists Make Tattoo Ink Content Public

Are tattoos harmful to one's health? Scientists Make Tattoo Ink Content Public

In the past, tattoos were mostly worn for religious expression (typically by Buddhists and Hindus to show their beliefs), but today they are a fashion statement. These days, a lot of people tattoo images of themselves onto their bodies. Additionally, we frequently hear about allergic reactions to tattoo inks at the same time. Can tattooing damage your skin and have other negative effects?

Many nations do not have laws governing tattoos, so nothing is known about the ingredients in the inks and any potential side effects. Recent research from Binghamton University has revealed some tattoo pigments' chemical makeup.

The researchers, who looked at about 100 well-known tattoo ink brands for their experiment, noted that even when an ingredient label is present on the tattoo ink, the lists are frequently unreliable. The scientists, under the direction of John Swierk, also discovered tiny particles in the inks that might injure cells.

The study's findings were presented at the American Chemical Society's fall meeting (ACS).

Pigments made for paint and textiles used in tattoo inks

Swierk and his crew questioned tattoo artists about their knowledge of the inks' chemical make-up. They could name the brand they preferred, but they had little knowledge of the makeup of tattoo ink.

Swierk claims that dye manufacturers do not produce a particular pigment for tattoo ink. He said that they produce pigments for use in paint, textiles, and tattoo inks in addition to other applications.

For safety considerations, Swierk emphasized the urgent necessity to regulate the ingredients of tattoo inks and make a license necessary for tattoo artists to practice.

What's in tattoo ink revealed

The researchers found that tattoo inks are made up of two elements: a pigment and a carrier fluid.

The pigment in the tattoo inks may be a white solid compound (titanium dioxide), a molecular blue pigment, or a mixture of the two chemical types (light blue ink). To make the pigment more soluble and enable it to penetrate the middle layer of skin, the carrier solution is added. According to the researchers, an anti-inflammatory component may occasionally be present in the solution.

The particle size and chemical makeup of tattoo pigments were investigated by Swierk's team using a variety of techniques, including Raman spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and electron microscopy.

Chemical testing revealed that certain inks include chemicals like ethanol that aren't specified on the product labels. In some inks, they also discovered azo pigments. When these pigments are chemically intact, they may not be damaging to health, but bacteria or ultraviolet radiation can break them down into a nitrogen-based molecule that is thought to be potentially carcinogenic, the expert pointed out.

Additionally, examination using electron microscopy demonstrated the existence of particles smaller than 100 nm in several tattoo inks.

The fact that "particles of this size can penetrate through the cell membrane and potentially cause injury" raises concerns, according to Swierk,