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photo of Karen L. Hudson

Karen's Tattoos Blog

By Karen L. Hudson, About.com Guide to Tattoos since 1999

In the News

Sunday May 10, 2009
Police file new charges against illicit tattoo artist

Tattoo artist pleads guilty to inking minor

Germany cracks down on use of carcinogenic dyes in tattoo shops

Comments

May 19, 2009 at 1:41 am
(1) William Rafti says:

Based on several chemical analysis I’ve seen of tattoo ink the pigment is not the only potential problem with tattoo ink- for example what purpose would Ammonium Nitrate (a colorless fertilizer additive that is also used to make nitrous oxide, and in ANFO explosives) serve in tattoo ink, and what is it doing in there; or how about speedset ® (a printing ink additive that is mixed in during the manufacturing process of some inks that was never intended to be used for tattooing). In America the powers that be assume that clients don’t have the right to know what is in the ink they are being tattooed with. Won’t it be interesting to see 10-30 years from now what (if any) unintended side effects result from these bright colors (mostly pigments suspended in ABS plastic powder) with additives intended to please an offset press? Is this what the industry wants?

I have written proof of all of this, and some of my best friends are analytical chemists so think twice before you try to discount my findings as insane rants (this industry has some serious issues). Many tattooists actually swear at plastic based pigments without realizing that it’s in the brands they are using daily!

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