Tattoo inks, dangers and legislation
- sylvaintattoo
- Feb 26, 2021
- 5 min read
Hi everyone!
I'd like to talk to you today about the controversies surrounding tattoo colors, because it's become a hot topic again recently. (For example, in France, in an article published by the newspaper "Le Monde")
What are we talking about?
In fact, in the midst of this crisis, the European Parliament issued a new regulation, published on December 15, which schedules a ban, effective January 2023, on two pigments (a type of blue and a type of green) found in many currently used colors. The stated reason is a precautionary principle, a very fashionable term these days.
The French Consumers' Union (UFC) has reiterated that it has detected substances in tattoo inks that do not comply with cosmetic regulations and could be potentially toxic, even carcinogenic.
Some media outlets have relayed this information, stripping it of nuance to create an alarmist message, perhaps because it sells better.
Tattoos and cancer?
To date, there are no officially and scientifically proven cases of cancer caused by tattoos. This is true both now and 30 years ago, when the composition of tattoo inks was far less regulated than it is now.
It is unclear what testing methods were used by the UFC, and there is no analytical study of these tests. For these reasons, it is impossible to definitively establish any link between the potential toxicity of these tattoo inks and any possible adverse effects on the human body, whether short-term or long-term.
So, to be clear, no one has ever contracted cancer from getting a tattoo.
And in Switzerland?
In Switzerland, tattoo inks are administratively classified as food. Therefore, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) is responsible for ensuring that tattoo artists follow "good working practices" (which can be downloaded here: https://www.blv.admin.ch/dam/blv/fr/dokumente/gebrauchsgegenstaende/kosmetika-schmuck-textilien/arbeitspraxis-tattoostudios.pdf.download.pdf/BPT-directives_tattoo.pdf).
They are also responsible for ink testing, taking samples which are then analyzed in a laboratory to ensure their compliance.
There is no official list of approved tattoo inks, but there is a negative list of batches of inks that have failed the tests. The link is available here: https://www.blv.admin.ch/dam/blv/fr/dokumente/gebrauchsgegenstaende/kosmetika-schmuck-textilien/anwendungsverbot-taetowier-farben.pdf.download.pdf/interdiction_d_utilisation_couleurs_de_tatouage_et_PMU.pdf
However, in Switzerland as elsewhere, there are currently no studies that achieve a level of experience close enough to reality to provide reliable results.
And what about a dermatologist's opinion?
It's essential to put things into perspective, as dermatologist Nicolas Kluger explains:
"A product can be more or less carcinogenic depending on how it's introduced into the body," Kluger continues. "The problem with tattoos is that we very rarely test the product on mice by tattooing them. Often, we make them drink or inhale the component."
As for studies on humans, we must avoid the numerous biases. And this should be done "with cohorts of tattooed people who have no other cancer risk factors. When you know that 40% of tattooed people are smokers, you realize the complexity," he emphasizes.
“This regulation may seem very strict to tattoo artists and ink manufacturers when you consider that carcinogenic products like tobacco are readily available,” the dermatologist points out. “Here, we’re fighting over blue ink because of a hypothetical carcinogenic risk.”
The full article from which this quote is taken in a 20 Minutes article is available here: https://www.20minutes.fr/sante/2979127-20210218-tatouages-ufc-choisir-alerte-dangers-encres-alors-legislation-europeenne-evolue
So, what are the risks of getting a tattoo?
When done properly, and the client follows the aftercare instructions, tattooing is safe!
However, it's best to go to an experienced professional tattoo artist and avoid those who work from home in questionable hygiene conditions.
So why ban them?
Unfortunately, even today there are people who dislike tattoos and would like to ban them.
It's deplorable that roughly every five years, tattoos are attacked and criticized on unfounded scientific grounds.
It's also incredibly sad that the studies used to justify these attacks most often involve torturing animals by making them drink or inhale pigments that in no way reflect the reality of how these inks are used.
It's important to know that once the ink is fixed in the skin, the quantities of certain potentially toxic substances in a tattoo are extremely small.
To give you an idea, there are as many as in common foods you find in stores, like when you drink a cup of hot chocolate, for example.
In reality, even today, tattooing remains poorly understood by those who dictate our laws.
Moreover, most of those who try to suppress it don't have tattoos themselves.
It's all the more disheartening to see the efforts being made toward this repression in the name of our health, while the sale of tobacco, alcohol, added sugar, palm oil, and pesticides is permitted!
The French National Union of Tattoo Artists (SNAT) has published an excellent analysis in a very well-written article; I've included the link here: https://syndicat-national-des-artistes-tatoueurs.assoconnect.com/page/86340-encres
The French magazine "Tatouage Magazine" also published an article on the subject in its latest issue, released on February 24th. It is available at newsstands.
Want to help save tattooing?
There's a French-language petition from the SNAT (National Union of Tattoo Artists) that's promoting the original Austrian petition, published on January 16, 2021.
The goal is to alert the European Parliament and prevent the ban on certain pigments that could have repercussions for our entire profession. Your signature can really make a difference!
The link is here: https://syndicat-national-des-artistes-tatoueurs.assoconnect.com/articles/68129-petition-pour-le-maintien-de-certains-pigments-dans-les-encres-de-tatouage
My final thoughts
These two points of view can be summarized as follows:
On one side, tattoo artists, their clients, and their families are enthusiastic about the tattoos they've been practicing and wearing for years.
The majority of professionals are eager to learn, open to dialogue, and want to be able to practice their craft in safe and hygienic conditions with the best possible equipment.
Personally, I take my work as a tattoo artist very seriously, and I pay particular attention to my ink choices.
It's incredibly important to me to be able to work with beautiful colors safely, because my clients, many of my friends, and most of my acquaintances are all tattooed!
And on the other side, we have an administration, a government agency that wants to legislate but is hampered by the lack of a precise study that takes into account the reality of the process and its actual impact on the human body, and whose decisions are made somewhat blindly.
In a complex human society, context is extremely important, and maintaining dialogue is essential to doing things properly. Those who govern and decide what is permitted must work closely with those directly affected, namely the tattoo artists.
Otherwise, the decisions made will be arbitrary, unrelated to public health, and perceived as oppression that will encourage the clandestine work of a profession that has fought so hard to improve its image.
Now more than ever, it is crucial that people communicate and work together for the common good, and I hope that Parliament will see reason and lift this ban.
Sylvain
Comments