Is It True That Tattoos Cause Liver and Kidney Damage?

Now, there are two types of pigment; organic and inorganic.

In the past, the majority of tattoo artists used inorganic pigment, which generally contained heavy metals like chromium, mercury, or cadmium. As a result, the pigment wasn’t just black but achieved colors like red (mercury sulfide) or yellow (cadmium sulfide). The black ink was a mixture of carbon black and titanium dioxide.

Organic pigment is mostly used nowadays. The chemical structure or organic colorants comprises organic pigments or polycyclic pigments. These pigments have proven better in terms of color payoff and vividness or vibrancy.

Now, when we talk about pigments for ink, it is essential to mention that colorants do not have and pharmaceutical requirements. So, alongside the standard chemical structure, colorants can contain by-products of the coloring compounds as well as various impurities. Therefore, the complete ‘ingredient’ list of the colorants is incomplete and varies from one colorant to the other. The same issue applies to black colorants as well as colored pigments.

Tattoo Colorants and Health Concerns

Colorants or ink, especially the black ones are usually produced using polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs. Furthermore, the black ink is generally made from Carbon black, which is listed as possibly carcinogenic to humans according to the Internation Agency of Research in Cancer or IARC. These carcinogenic compounds are known to be exposed to humans through tobacco and polluted air, or by drinking and eating contaminated water and food.

However, the carcinogenic compounds can also enter the body through tattooing, especially if the tattoo artists use questionable, inorganic pigments or colorants.

When it comes to the Carbon black issue alone, it is well known that it can cause skin allergic reactions or tattoo infections in certain people. In some, it can also cause tumors, but such cases, as described by medical literature, can also appear as coincidental.