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Getting ink done (wanted a 13, got a 31)

This is an updated version of a column that first appeared in the Nov. 22, 2012 edition of The Citizen: Some people are concerned about what they put in their body.
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This is an updated version of a column that first appeared in the Nov. 22, 2012 edition of The Citizen:

Some people are concerned about what they put in their body. Television commercials, food network pundits, afternoon talk shows and such repeatedly tell us we need to watch what we eat. We need to be informed about what is in our food.

I had a conversation recently with a colleague about the subject. She wanted to make sure the food she eats didn't have any chemicals in it or on it.

I had to groan. After all, everything is made up of chemicals.

But I listened to her point of view as she was very concerned about whether or not there might be lead in her lettuce or copper in her corn.

Then I noticed she had a tattoo.

I was a little surprised and asked her about it. She proceeded to tell me how important it was to her due to its symbolic meaning.

I asked "But didn't you say you are concerned about what you are putting in your body?"

She gave me a confused look. I had to explain that a tattoo contains chemical compounds you inject into your body. The thought had never occurred to her.

Tattoos are a powerful and permanent personal statement.

Some people get them to remember loved ones. Others get them so they will stand out in a crowd or for the pure aesthetics or as an act of rebellion. And there is always the "me, too" crowd. Or the late night, "hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time" crowd.

Almost every tattoo comes with a story.

Whatever the reason for getting a tattoo, it is a personal choice and there is nothing wrong with it.

However, and without trying to sound preachy, I would suggest getting a tattoo is something which should only be done after a bit of research and forethought.

Gone are the days when a tattoo artist might recycle needles from one client to the next. Latex gloves are now used to ensure there is no exchange of blood or other bodily fluids. The fear of both HIV and hepatitis has ensured a level of health and safety during the actual application of a tattoo. Any credible tattoo artist will do their best to ensure the process is as sanitary as possible.

But getting a tattoo intrinsically involves repeatedly sticking a needle into the dermis and injecting a dye over and over again. The question is - what is in the dye?

Surprisingly, in many cases, no one really knows.

This was the result published a number of years ago by Haley Finley-Jones and Leslie Wagner, two students at Northern Arizona University. As an undergraduate research project, they acquired 17 samples of ink from five different manufacturers and analyzed their contents.

What they found was a tremendous variety of compounds. At the time of their study, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulated the sanitation of tattoo parlors but didn't monitor the actual pigment used in tattooing.

The United States has since started to regulate tattoo ink. As of 2017, Health Canada defines tattoo ink as a cosmetic and subject to some regulation.

Generally, there is very little information about what is being put into your body during a tattoo. Manufacturers can and do use a wide assortment of compounds to make up different pigments.

Black inks, for example, might contain iron oxide or carbon black (soot) while blue inks often contain salts of copper or cobalt oxide. White inks can be made with titanium dioxide, zinc sulfate or lead carbonate. But the manufacturers are not required to disclose their exact mixture or blend.

The only stipulation, in Canada, is the dyes are not allowed to contain chloroform or mercury compounds such as cinnabar or vermillion.

Furthermore, the regulations leave open the question of the composition of the liquid carrier used to suspend the dry pigment obtained from the manufacturer. The liquid carrier might be any one or some combination of water, witch hazel or alcohols (including ethanol, vodka or even Listerine) and a surfactant such as glycerin or propylene glycol.

Simply put, the world of tattoo inks is a kind of mystery ranging from highly reputable sources to questionable compounds.

An interactive poll carried out in the United States in 2010 found 14 per cent of all Americans and 38 per cent of millennials had ink somewhere on their body. The numbers are thought to be similar in Canada. Tattooing is one of the fastest growing retail sectors in the North American market, now valued at over $1.6 billion annually.

It is ironic that we have government regulations controlling trans-fats and a host of other additives in the food we eat and yet there is little in the way of control on tattoo inks which provide a much more permanent exposure to a wide variety of chemical compounds.