Modern tattoos cause high concentrations of hazardous pigments in skin
- Contact Dermatitis. 2008 Apr;58(4):228-33. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0536.2007.01301.x.
- 1. Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Regensburg, 93042 Regensburg, Germany.
Background: Modern tattoo colourants frequently consist of azo Pigments that not only contain multiple impurities but also are originally produced for car paint and the dyeing of consumer goods.
Objective: In order to be able to assess the health risk of tattoos, it is important to determine the pigment concentration in human skin.
Methods: We tattooed excised pigskin and human skin with a common tattoo pigment (Pigment Red 22) under various conditions. After tattooing, we quantitatively extracted the pigment in order to determine the pigment concentration in skin.
Results: The concentration of Pigments ranged from about 0.60 to 9.42 mg/cm(2) of tattooed skin (mean value 2.53 mg/cm(2)) depending upon the size of the pigment crystals, the pigment concentration applied to the skin surface, and the respective procedure of tattooing.
Conclusion: In conclusion, high concentrations of colourants are injected into the skin during tattooing and based upon this quantification, a risk assessment of tattooing ought to be carried out.
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Cat. No.Product NameDescriptionTargetResearch Area
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target: Fluorescent DyeResearch Areas: Others