The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has launched an investigation after new research turned up troubling findings about toxic chemicals in tattoo ink. Recently published studies have found that the inks can contain a host of dodgy substances, including some phthalates, metals, and hydrocarbons that are carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. One chemical commonly used to make black tattoo ink called benzo(a)pyrene is known to be a potent carcinogen that causes skin cancer in animal tests.
Coloured inks often contain lead, cadmium, chromium, nickel, titanium and other heavy metals that could trigger allergies or diseases, scientists say. Some pigments are industrial grade dyes ‘suitable for printers’ ink or automobile paint,’ according to an FDA fact sheet. Now the FDA has launched an investigation into the long-term safety of the inks, including what happens when they break down in the body or fade from light exposure.
An estimated 45million people in the U.S., including at least 36 per cent of adults in their late 30s, have at least one tattoo. The FDA has the power to control tattoo inks under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, but up to now the agency has not flexed its regulatory muscles.
A spokesman for the agency said: ‘Because the dyes and inks used in tattoos have not been approved by FDA, we do not know the specific composition of what these inks and dyes may contain.
Who would have guessed that injecting chemicals under the skin might be a bad idea? In my youth it was mainly bikers, prisoners and military people who got tats. Now it seems everyone is doing it. Yes, I’m shocked to hear the FDA is, once again, asleep at the switch.
#15 MicroMike
Tough words from a fellow who can usually trust the meat at the grocery store, the drugs in the drug store, the water that comes from his tap, and who’s river is not on fire.
Regulations are serving a purpose. Your refusal to recognize the purpose does not negate it.
#19. It is and they do.
#22 cocaine is legal?
Well, isn’t this a pisser for healthy conscious folks — now they’ll be limited to piercing, scarification & branding to satisfy their body art needs!
Need some “creative” ideas? Check out http://bodymod.org or http://bme.com
BTW, God (allegedly) doesn’t approve of any of this foolishness, as expressed in Leviticus 19:28. So why, you might ask, did He give us tattoo inks with lead, cadmium and chromium? Or, is this really the handiwork of Satan??
In #20 Sanford195 said: While attempting to make tattoos more colorful and more durable inks have become more and more exotic with fillers and additives that are less and less benign.
So how is that shade of plutonium “gun metal blue” working out for ya?
and in #15 Micromike said: Shouldn’t consumers be smart enough to know they need to be very careful about injecting substances into their body?
Duude, they’re thinking about getting fuckin’ tattooed. They have to be stupid and/or masochists and/or drunk off their ass to contemplate it.
It hurts to fuck apply, (its permanent [and it hurts in the wallet to boot to get rid of,]) and the only thing on the average person’s mind (IQ only 100, which is the average, by definition, or below,) is “will he/she/they think its makes me look hot or will my ‘rents get pissed off enough at my tramp stamp?” because they’re thinking with their pubes, not their cerebellum.
I thought of getting tattoos saying: “Open Here” like on military planes, but I thought better of it. Most of my friends at the time were stupid enough to use it as an excuse to carve me up like a turkey…
Then I though of getting tattoos saying: “No User Serviceable Parts Inside“, but I figured that would just get me funny looks at the beach.
Then I though of getting what looks like “S|wan” tattooed on my dick. (Honey that’s not “S|wan” that’s “Saskatchewan“!) But that would be awfully painful for such a cheap-shot joke.
Lately, I’m thinking of getting a simple chest tattoo saying: “Do Not Resuscitate.”
In #21 tcc3 said: Regulations are serving a purpose. Your refusal to recognize the purpose does not negate it.
Leave the poor schmuck alone.
Maybe he’s one of those caveat emptor “free market” dweebs who thinks that its just too bad if his mother broke her hip tripping over a lousy broken tile at city hall or the state capitol that nobody ever got around to fixing because there was no money in the budget. (But hey, there’s never enough money in the budget, right? If there was we’d i>cut it.)
Later on, he’ll take her out back and shoot her.
So, I’m curious. What’s your take on branding?! Believe it or not, some people are actually branding themselves as if they were cows or something too. They do this as another form of “body art”. So, do you think branding might be something that the government should also be looking into?
I think someone once rhetorically said it best when he/she asked, “why would anyone be caught dead placing a picture on their body that they wouldn’t be caught dead hanging on their wall?!”
BTW, I’m a biker. However, I don’t have any tats and I’m not alone here either. I made my choice a long time ago and I’ll fight to the death before I let anyone else place their symbol of ownership on me – cause I’m not a damn cow! But if I ever do get a tattoo, it’ll probably be my government issued SS# on the bottom of my foot or something – sort of like they did in Nazi Germany.
#27. I’m a biker too. No tats, never saw a need, plus I have a phobia of needles.
No tats and its a three day weekend so I am feeling lazy and way to lazy to google it or read the article. Does anybody know under what jurisdiction the FDA would have to regulate tattoo ink? Its not a drug per se, nor is it a food, a food additive maybe. Please post a link I will look at it Tuesday. Otherwise its off to the lake for beer and bikinis. I may be old but I am not dead.
A tatoo makes me think the owner wishes to join the lower classes.
Most Americans I’ve met hope to join a higher class group.
Hawaiians are the exception.
I drive a car. Never attracted to tats: what if I change my mind? Yes, its all about being open to changing my mind. Amusing and telling how that theme plays across many seemingly unrelated issues?
also telling: how many LIEberTARDS confuse the libertarian touchstone with being anti-tax and anti-regulation. but they always say they are for anti-fraud regulations, the one’s that aren’t clinically insane that is.
Libertarian position: let people do what they want: tats, cocaine, abortions but INFORM them and regulate the businesses that provide the service/product.
Rational.
Coincidence: Clinically Irrational: Representative Walsh: “a Teaparty Activist.”
Like anyone who tats himself “Outlaw” he should simply be shot on sight. We don’t need scum around here.
Tatoos are for circus and carnival people, bikers, prisoners, sleezy junkies and military people.
Injecting chemicals under the skin could cause cancer or other health problems. Who woulda thunk it?
No tats. My father thought that people who had tats were most likely mentally unstable. I noticed that none of the people who worked were I did had any that showed. I’ve noticed that tats often fail to age well as does skin. One of my bosses made a connection between tats and thieves after being robbed by some people with tats on a work crew they hired.
I’m not sure why anyone would think that getting a tat wasn’t at least moderately risky on many levels.
So the FDA threatens to “look” into tattoo safety. Right at the start of the election cycle. What’s this, a call to all red necks to register and vote Republican? Stopping the tattoo nannies, who must be Democrats, right? The FDA is pretty cash strapped, so that it can’t afford to investigate things already on its plate. Never mind adding anything new. So this sounds more like a red herring issue. Again, to spur voter registration.
So while thousands of people have been put away for smoking, or growing weed. Based on MJ’s supposed harmful effects. Tattoo artists, using completely unregulated inks, have legally plied their trade, with little or no consequences. Probably because the tobacco and pharm industries don’t sell tattoo ink. If they did, then there’d be hell to pay. But whatever doesn’t threaten the profits of big corporations, is Ok, and off the radar.
In #30, What? said some things that don’t quite make sense so I’m asking for clarification.
Hawaiians are an exception to what? A wish for upward mobility or to the whole “tattoos are a barrier to upward mobility ethos.”
Also tattoos would seem to me to be an indication of one’s origins, not an indication of one’s aspirations or of one’s deliberate or accidental elevation.
I have also seen/known some Japanese women with full back tattoos and with full body suits that were extremely beautiful, colorful, cultural, expressive and made the wearer look simply, stunningly, breathtakingly beautiful.
In #34 Glenn E. said: So this sounds more like a red herring issue.
Two points:
First: The subcutaneous application of cosmetic falls under the “D” portion of the FDA. (It applies more than homeopathic medecine which uses injections of pure water which was shown some active agent.)
Second: What do you think costs more? Sending a couple of agents out to urban and suburban malls to look at tattoo parlors(*) and a few more to check out the suppliers OR send them out in the countryside to some farms where they are far more likely to discover something unsavory.
*) Perhaps the Tattoo Parlor Association of America (TPAA) could negotiate a deal with the drug companies to do inoculations.
You could get steered to a tattoo parlor for a shot of time release Gardasyl and a tramp stamp or a fag flag (if you don’t know … don’t ask.)
Because I find the questions interesting:
# 36 msbpodcast said, on September 2nd, 2011 at 4:06 pm
In #30, What? said some things that don’t quite make sense so I’m asking for clarification.
Hawaiians are an exception to what? /// The main European Culture of being tat free. Hawaiian roots are not Western. I would give them a pass on the only crazies and mentally impaired gets tats meme when it comes to Hawaiians and just pity them for being Hawaiian.
A wish for upward mobility or to the whole “tattoos are a barrier to upward mobility ethos.” /// We are all bent by our childhood/culture/sub-culture we are raised in. I grew up in the suburbs and note how “removed” I was from the business mentality. I would be a different person had I grown up on the gritty streets of the Urban scene. Same for the Hawaiians. Yes, riding the waves and getting tats is a barrier to upward mobility “like” growing up in the homogeneous unchallenging suburbs.
Also tattoos would seem to me to be an indication of one’s origins, not an indication of one’s aspirations or of one’s deliberate or accidental elevation. /// To the tatted one’s, they mean whatever they mean to them. To the observers, they mean whatever they mean to them. Life is like that. We all make our own reality. Some narrow, some wide. We make our choices on many levels, all the time. How conscious are you when making these choices??
I have also seen/known some Japanese women with full back tattoos and with full body suits that were extremely beautiful, colorful, cultural, expressive and made the wearer look simply, stunningly, breathtakingly beautiful. /// Yes, I’ve seen many tatted Japanese Women I would like to mount on my wall.
Tramp Stamp: I’m against them as that is exactly what they are. Nothing wrong with a little tear drop here or there. But tatting the last words of Marilyn Monroe makes about as much sanity as wearing a vile of blood around your neck. How many crazy ass scary stupid bitch things can you do in a row before the next few good things you do are totally suspect as well as who you do those things with?
What ya gonna do? Totally hot woman with too many tats, or Miss Reasonable and Sane Whitebread with no tats? Can’t have both although that simple choice and consequence will probably confuse you for a few years or more.
Run with Confidence my friends, Run with Confidence.
I have two small but awesome tattoos. Like to get one more.
Republicans should be more concerned with cholesterol, diabetes, cancer of the anus than tattoo ink.
#39–Big D==awesome tats huh? Even if I were “off topic” much less on topic and had awesome tats I’d say what they were.
What are yours and what do you want to get?
As a liberal, I am concerned with all those issues. A sane society does not commerce in poison. As a libertarian, I am concerned with all those issues: even poison should be made available WITH the property warnings, informed consent.
As a rational human being, I would consider products with side effects and weigh the balance, and avoid straight up poison like it was poison.
Labeling: surely metal vs non-metal. Safe vs Unknown?
FREEEEEEEDOM—other people doing what you would choose not to do. Judgment: choosing what freedoms you want to associate with. Maturity: accepting the consequences of all your choices.
yea, verily.