Scary health items include: chemicals and metals in household products, apples contaminated with pesticides, lipstick filled with heavy metals, carcinogens in water, sperm counts that don't add up, items that cause hormone disruptor issues, problems with lymph glands, etc. A variety of folks and organizations- scientists, NGOs, activists, politicians, journalists, media outlets, cranks and quacks continually harp about potential health threats like these and many others.
An example: Canada's Environmental Defense (ED) took on cosmetics as a lucrative cause. Many Canadian media fell headlong into ED's alarming claims in a report about the health risks of heavy metals in face makeup. Trace amounts of cadmium, lead, nickel, and other metals were found in lipsticks and other makeup products. Such metals, it said, are known to cause cancer, reproductive and developmental disorders, immune system, kidney and scores of others problems. (1)
Some of the same, potentially harmful metals and other additives can be found in tattoos. However, it's hard to find anyone raising flags about tattoos. Why?
Tattooing involves depositing pigments from oils or synthetic dyes into the skin at a depth of 1 to 2 millimeters. Native flora and infectious pathogens enter the newly created wound during the process. Immediately after tattooing local infections are often experienced, characterized by redness, swelling and pain. On occasions, bactereremia (bacteria in the bloodstream) ensures. Infections are typically from Staphylococus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pyogense. Clostridium infection (tetanus) is associated with sticking and probing by sharp metals, but fortunately, most people are vaccinated against tetanus. The artist is often the source for hepatitis B and C infections. A University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center study found people with tattoos were six times more likely to have hepatitis C than people without them. For this reason the American Association of Blood Banks prohibits blood donation until at least one year after any tattoo procedure, reports Anne Maczulak. (2)
Some scientists think some of the particles gradually 'drain' into the lymph system, a network of tubes containing a clear fluid called the lymph, which produces infection-fighting white blood cells. Tattoo pigment particles may end up settling in the body's lymph nodes, lumps of tissue that filter lymph fluid. (3)
Helen Sue MacIntosh says, "Although the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority to regulate tattoo pigments, tattoo pigments have not yet been approved by FDA for injection into the skin, as is done when a tattoo is made." Here's the metals she lists: lead, arsenic, antimony, beryllium, chromium, cobalt, and nickel—metals that have also been linked to bad outcomes in people. The amount of these metals in a tattoo may be substantial. For example, the American Environmental Safety Institute (AESI) states that the ink used for an index card (3 by 5 inch) sized  tattoo contains 1.23 micrograms of lead, which is more than double the amount permitted per day (0.5) under California's Proposition 65. (4)
FDA considers the inks used in intradermal tattoos, including permanent makeup, to be cosmetics and considers the pigments used in the inks to be color additives requiring pre-market approval under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. However, because of other public health priorities and a previous lack of evidence of safety concerns, FDA traditionally has not exercised its regulatory authority over tattoo inks or the pigments used in them. The actual practice of tattooing is regulated by local jurisdictions. (5)
A European Commission noted that close to 40% of organic tattoo colorants used in Europe had not been approved for cosmetic use, and that under 20% of colorants contained a carcinogenic aromatic amine. (6)
As a result of a 2007 lawsuit brought by the American Environmental Safety Institute (AESI),  two of the leading tattoo ink manufacturers must now place warning labels on their product containers, catalogs and websites explaining that 'inks contain heavy metals, including lead, arsenic and others' and that the ingredients have been linked to cancer and birth defects. (7) 
Television guru Dr. M. Oz discusses new organic azo dyes with plastic-based pigments that are substitutes for metal salts, lead, cobalt, and carbon. He notes, "Before you stroll into the tattoo shop down the street, consider this: Recent reports show these new tattoo dyes are triggering an increasing number of complications, including allergic reactions, infections and lesions that look like squamos cell skin cancer. When those bumps appear, you'll need a biopsy to figure out what's going on—not pleasant for you or the tattoo. Also, consider that you're adding new risks to the ones that come along with old-school inks: Some contain hormone disruptors that can migrate to your lymph nodes; others deliver lead, cobalt, cadmium, mercury sulfide (all well-documented carcinogens) and toxic hydrocarbons. And unless you get new inks for each color, even if the needles are sterilized, it's as risky as having sex with everyone who has received a tattoo with that ink." (8)
Then there are temporary tattoos that typically last from three days to several weeks, depending on the product used for coloring and the condition of the skin. Unlike permanent tattoos, which are injected into the skin, temporary tattoos, marketed as 'henna' are applied to the skin's surface. Today, so-called 'black henna' is often used in place of traditional henna. Inks marketed as black henna may be a mix of henna with other ingredients, or may really be hair dye alone. Use of black henna is potentially harmful. That's because the extra ingredient used to blacken henna is often coal-tar dye containing 
p-phenylenediamine (PPD), an ingredient that can cause dangerous skin reactions in some people. By law, PPD is not permitted in cosmetics intended to be applied to the skin. You may see 'black henna' used in places such as temporary tattoo kiosks at beaches, boardwalks, and other holiday destinations, as well as in some ethnic specialty shops. While states have jurisdiction over professional practices such as tattooing and cosmetology, that oversight differs from state to state. Some states have laws and regulations for temporary tattooing, while others don't. So, depending on where you are, it's possible no one is checking to make sure the artist is following proper practices or even knows what may be harmful to consumers. (9)
For a gruesome account of tattooing, here's what Diane Ackerman has to say when discussing Japanese tattooing called Irezumi: "Ultimately, tattoos make unique the surface of one's self, embody one's secret dreams, adorn with magic emblems the Altamira of the flesh. It is also a form of self-destruction; fully tattooed people live shorter lives because their skin can't breathe properly and some of the inks are poisonous. Those with tattooed faces, hands, and heads have chosen, in a way, to seal themselves off from normal society forever, and so it is not surprising that the largest number of tattooed in Japan belong to the underworld. Tattoo masters often help the Tokyo police identify bodies. A person completely tattooed in a single coherent scene dictated by body contour and self-image makes you wonder about symbolism, decoration, and identity." (10)
Note- Ackerman's work was published in 1999, before the present-day tattoo craze. These days, tattoos are no longer just for the dredges of society. Long gone are the days when tattoos were considered taboo and could only be found on the bodies of convicts and motorcyclists. Today, everyone including our professors, mothers, and best friends have tattoos and are proud to show them off. (11) The Pew Research Center reports that 38% of young adults ages 18 to 29 have tattoos. (12)
You can even see some of this art on display. "Just as westerners donate their organs after death, a Japanese wearing the work of a grand master may donate his skin to a museum or university. Tokyo University has many such masterpieces, framed. To walk into this chamber of skins must fill one with shock and wonder; What a marvel to see so many lives at full stretch, defined by needles and ink, so many people who wished to become their own text," reports Ackerman. (10)
On the plus side, dermatologists have been evaluating patients with tattoos for decades for any evidence of skin cancer and they have never found an increased prevalence of the disease in those individuals. (13)
Yet, this is also true for many other products that get press headlines for miniscule amounts of chemicals that are alleged to cause health problems. So, where are the fearmonger groups that worry about minuscule amounts of various metals and chemicals and other products, at much lower levels than a permanent reservoir under the skin in one's body. What happens when one gets cut? Do the metals or whatever ingredients are in the tattoo flow away with the blood or can they be absorbed into the bloodstream. Seems this could be more potent that simply rubbing some cosmetics or lipstick on one's face.
References
1. Terence Corcoran, "Junkscience week: lipstick, apples & sperm counts," Financial Post, June 13, 2011
Anne E. Maczulak, The Five-Second Rule, (New York, Thunder's Mouth Press, 2007), 162
Anne Lederberg, "Marked for life," Science World, 54, 8, March 9, 1998
Helen Sue MacIntosh, "Tattoo ink facts-are tattoo inks toxic?" paparobs.com/ink-facts, accessed April 12, 2013
"Tattoos and permanent makeup," paparobs.com/ink-facts, February 1, 2010
"Tattoo medical issues," en.wikipedia.org, January 10, 2013
John P. Racine, "In the ink: do all tattoo pigments use mercury and other toxic heavy metals?", scientificamerican.com, October 7, 2011
Dr. M. Oz, "Complications from tattoo dyes," Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 9, 2013, Page E3
"Temporary tattoos may put you at risk," fda.gov/ForConsumers, April 12, 2013
Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses, (New York, Random House, 1990), 100
Ali Schwabe, "What to think about before getting inked," Fulcrum University of Ottawa, March 28, 2012
Barbara Sitzman and Regis Goode, "Open for discussion: Tattoos," ChemMatters, December 2012
Zalman S. Agus, "Tattoo ink facts-tattoo inks must carry health warnings," paparobs.com/ink-facts, accessed April 12, 2013
John William Dini, know to all as ‘Jack’, passed away at the age of 89 on June 17, 2026. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio on Nov. 14, 1936.
He published two books, a technical book on materials science and coatings and another on environmental issues. In retirement, he wrote extensively on various environmental issues for online publications.
He was a skilled leaded glass hobbyist, creating more than 20 lamps and many panels. He was a jogger for many years, competing in over 300 long distance races. He was a slow runner, not wanting to take the glory away from others. His secret was to start slow and taper. He and Anne traveled extensively, visiting over 70 countries.
He is survived by his wife, Anne, of 67 years, and sons Mike, Steve, and Paul. If you were to meet him somewhere, he would sum up his life as ‘peaches and cream’.
