Tattoo chemicals warning

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 19 Jul 2003 - 0:00 PDT

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Fans of tattooing are putting poisonous chemicals into their skin because of widespread ignorance about the substances used in tattooing dyes, the European Commission is warning.

'Would you inject car paint into your skin?,' the Commission asked in a statement accompanying its report on the health risks of tattooing and body-piercing.

With the fashion for body adornment growing, the Commission said too little was known about the chemical structure and toxicity of tattoos.

It said most chemicals used in tattoos were industrial pigments originally used for other purposes, such as automobile paints or writing inks, and there was little or no safety data to support their use in tattoos.

In addition, laws demanding that tattoo artists use gloves and sterile needles did not include rules about the purity of dyes or toxicological 'risk evaluation', meaning they could be impure and dirty without breaking the law.

The report said that as well as the risk of catching diseases such as HIV, hepatitis, or bacterial infections from dirty needles, tattooing could cause skin cancer, psoriasis, toxic shock syndrome or even behavioral changes.

It said two deaths caused by tattooing or body-piercing had been reported in Europe since the end of 2002. It is estimated that up to half of piercings require medical treatment, usually from acute infections.

The research published Thursday was the first part of a drive to make the practices safer, a spokesman said.

Having identified the potential health risks, the Commission plans to find out more about the tattooing and body-piercing industries before recommending stronger safety laws.

'If people want to tattoo or pierce their bodies, we would like them to do so with proper health and safety guarantees,' said Philippe Busquin, European Research Commissioner.

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