How much color does the body come?

In a new clinical study, scientists from the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BFR) have traced the path and metabolism of the liquid components of tattooing in the body for the first time.

The study, published in the diary Archives of toxicologyShow that smaller quantities of the agents remain in the organism than previously accepted. “The results of our study will make it possible to more accurately assess and evaluate the health risks of tattooing in the future,” says the Head of the study, Dr. Ines Schreiver of the Dermatotoxicology Study Center at the BFR.

“The deposition of color pigments of tattoos in the lymph nodes has long been known and has also been sufficiently proven by our studies,” says Dr. Schreiver. The pigments are insoluble and therefore form the fixed fraction of the ink. The quantity and distribution pattern of the liquid components in the body has not yet been investigated.

For the study, 24 volunteers received a tattoo of their choice. Tattooing was carried out under laboratory conditions in facilities of the Charité Hospital in Berlin by professional tattooists. The individual tattoo sessions lasted a little less than three and a half hours on average.

Urine and blood samples were taken before, during and after tattooing. With the help of so-called marker substances, the BFR team could understand how the liquid components of the tattooing behave in the body and are processed by metabolism.

The metabolites were already detectable in the first blood sample shortly after tattooing started. This also revealed that metabolism functions differently than expected when substances are absorbed by the skin during a tattoo.

For example, one of the marker substances used was more often converted into other metabolites compared to oral intake through food. This can be attributed to certain enzymes in the skin cells, as can be demonstrated in subsequent cell culture experiments. It can be assumed that these enzymes have a similar effect on similar substances. The metabolites formed in this way can have different effects than metabolites that have been formed through other recorder routes.

The study also checked how much tattoo ink was used in each session. The bottles of ink were weighed exactly before and after the session. All used needles, cloths and gloves were also collected and the amount of instruments that attaches itself to them was determined.

On average, only about one fifth of the color used ended up in the skin. Much of it was then excreted by the wounds while they healed. The exposure data about ink deposits in the body as part of the study will make a more accurate assessment and evaluation of possible health risks possible through potentially dangerous chemicals in tattoo inks in the future.

Provided by BFR Federal Institute for Risk Assessment