A report by NICNAS shows the dangers facing millions of Aussies with ink underneath their skins, and there’s nothing to smile about. The report went ahead and stated that there are pretty 471 different kinds of inks that most Australians are likely to use, and what’s even shocking is that they contain 89 unique chemicals. The same report attested that it sourced 49 ink types that are likely to be used by tattoo artists across Australia for testing. Out of the total inks tested, a mere four ink types only complied with the standards. What does this mean? There is a great underlying risk for those seeking to be tattooed.
One of the major concerns is the presence of PAHs. 83% of the blank inks tested showed the presence of (PAHs) carcinogens. Other chemicals found in these ink that do not comply with European standards were; barium, mercury, copper, amines and other colourants. What’s more, in some inks, labelling mismatched the contents while some were labelled as not intended for tattooing.
With the rising demand for tattoos, people need to be educated about the risks related before accepting their dermal layers injected with those beautiful artworks. But today, there’s an increasing proportion of the population seeking tattoos than before, and there is no sign of this demand dropping anytime soon. It is an international challenge as many countries have seen numerous sprouting tattoo parlours within the cities, meaning it is a lucrative business that attracts more and more as days go by.
It is also important to note that tattooing is something that has been around for centuries, and we have no tangible evidence that it posed dangers to humans, but scientists don’t lie, apart from the risk of getting skin cancer, there are other potential macrobiotic infections especially when unclean injecting equipment are used. Although there are reports that indicate that most people with tattoos report complications, we are not sure whether everyone with ink underneath their skin will get any form of cancer or not. However, basic toxicology tells us that the harm inflicted by any substance depends on the amount of exposure. Hence the dose determines how poisonous a substance is to the body. We are not even sure whether as the number of people getting inked increases, there is an increase in skin cancer cases. A lot of studies is lacking in this sector, so we cannot solemnly declare there are specific concerns about skin cancer to the population seeking to get artworks underneath the dermal layer.
Regulating tattoos
Another issue is controlling the amount of ink administered into the skin by an artist is no small task, and controlling the amount of ink entering the country is complicated, especially with the current booming online businesses. Regulating tattoo parlours might work, but people might turn to DIY or go to amateur artists, which increases the risks we are seeking to avert. So, it is complicated. For those who have had tattoos and wish to get rid of them, here is a little piece of advice, it might not help! It means that the chemicals trapped are released into the body as the chemicals degrade with the solar exposure. And since there are no studies on what the effects these inks might have, we are only considering educating those considering tattoos about the risks and leaving them to decide on their own.
Get a tattoo from professional tattoo experts who comply with health and safety protocols like Blackmarket Tattoo Co.
