A baring of limbs this summer showed more and more people visibly sporting body art, while press reports of unlicensed stick and poke tattooing, and of do-it-yourself tattoo kits being sold online raises concerns of a continuing trend. In a recent study, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency1 noted that the number of amateur tattooists, so-called kitchen table tattooists, has increased signicantly. Back in 2010, it was estimated that 13 per cent of the Danish adult population had one or more permanent tattoos. It seems this trend is likely to grow, and not just in Denmark. Tattooing is most popular among the 18-30 age group. It seems that, increasingly, women are being tattooed, with several professional tattooists noting that they now have a small majority of female customers. From the trading standards point of view, DIY tattoo kits present a problem, as they dont come under the provisions of the EU cosmetics directive, or the medical devices directive2. Tattooing products that present a serious risk to consumers fall within the provisions of the General Product Safety Directive and, possibly, REACH (the Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & Restriction of Chemicals). The EU hasnt published any legislation specically on tattoo inks, nor has the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) published a standard for these items3. There are, therefore, no specic safety requirements for tattoo inks. However, the Council of Europe (CoE), of which the UK is a member, has published a resolution addressing the issue4, but this isnt mandatory on member states. It is a negative list that denes the threshold level for certain hazardous substances in tattoo inks. The resolution places restrictions on more than 20 aromatic amines, some dyes, a wide range of heavy metals and certain other substances, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). The aromatic amines are thought to cause cancer, be mutagenic and are dangerous to reproduction. The other substances are also hazardous and, among other things, may cause allergies, irritation and/or inammation to the skin. A lot of DIY tattooing kits are available via the internet. However, when ordering such kits, it is virtually impossible for the consumer to ascertain, in advance of purchase, whether the inks are safe to use as the information will, almost certainly, not contain any reference as to whether the products concerned have been tested to the Council of Europe requirements. Many of these products will be sourced from the Middle or Far East, or from the USA and will, therefore, not have been placed on the European market prior to sale. There is no guarantee that either the needles or the inks will have been sterilised prior to dispatch. In this connection it is vital that the area around the tattoo remains sterile during the tattooing process or the skin may become infected. There have been more than 100 RAPEX the EU rapid alert system notications concerning hazardous tattooing inks since 2010. In many cases the quantity of the hazardous substance present in the inks has been considerably in excess of the concentration limits suggested in the Council of Europe Resolution. In one RAPEX notication the PAH concentration was 22 mg/kg5 44 times the recommended concentration limit. In another, the level of the aromatic amine, o-Anisidine, was 190 mg/kg6, whereas the council recommendation is that this substance should not even be present in the ink. The concentration levels of heavy metals in some inks have also been found to be very high, with nickel commonly found. In one case the concentration of nickel was 4,900 mg/kg7, whereas the council recommends that the maximum concentration should be as low as is technically achievable. The dangers involved in tattooing at home include both the risk of infection during the injection process, and of impregnating the skin with potentially lethal substances that will remain in the body for a long period of time. The Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency8 suggests that, in the short term, poor hygiene when handling inks, or performing a tattooing operation, may expose the individual being tattooed to bacterial, fungal, or viral infections such as hepatitis B and C, or HIV by contaminating the blood. In the longer term, part of the tattoo pigment will break apart in the body and may nd its way to body organs, such as the lymph glands. Scant information exists on the potentially harmful effects of longterm exposure of tattoo inks on humans for example, it is not known whether there is a connection between tattoos and skin cancer. In short, tattooing at home is not a pastime in which to engage without some serious thought about the hazards it may present. The alternative of using a tattoo parlour that has been licensed by a local authority is probably a safer option. Even then, its worthwhile asking the parlour for evidence that their inks conform to the requirements of the Council of Europe Resolution on the safety of tattoos and permanent make-up. References: 1 Chemical Substances in Tattoo Inks published by Danish Environmental Protection Agency 2012. 2 Chemical Watch 19 March 2015 Ana-Maria Blass-Rico from the European Commission. 3 European Parliament Answer by Mr Mimica on behalf of the Commission 6 February 2014. 4 Council of Europe Resolution ResAP(2008)1 On requirements and criteria for the safety of tattoos and permanent make-up. 5 RAPEX notication 2903/11. 6 RAPEX notication A12/1403/12. 7 RAPEX notication A12/0140/13. 8 Be aware of the risks before you decide to have a tattoo. Credits Published Robert Chantry-Price is a project Tuesday 27 October, 2015 coordinator for PROSAFE, and a CTSI lead ofcer on consumer and product safety Images: Charcompix / Shutterstock To share this page, in the toolbar click on