EU study assesses health risks of tattoos and body piercing
The Commission has called on Member States to take action in response to the health risks associated with tattoos and body piercing. The health risks related to the popular practices of tattooing and piercing have been documented in a recent Commission study. It reveals that in the case of tattooing, over a third of organic dyes used in the industry have not been authorised as skin cosmetics ingredients. In fact, most of the chemicals used in tattoos are industrial pigments originally produced for other purposes, such as automobile paints and writing inks. Little is known about the makeup of these substances, but experts are worried that they do not meet safety, sterility and purity requirements. In the case of health hazards associated with piercing, the study finds that health standards are being disregarded, with up to half of piercings leading to acute infections that require medical attention. In more serious cases, the piercing can lead to diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis or leprosy. The study also makes the point that no legislation specific to tattooing and piercing practices is currently in place in the Member States; existing regulations in the EU focus mainly on prescribing hygiene practices such as the use of gloves and sterilised needles. However, the study notes that they do not address the sterility or the toxicological and risk evaluation of substances used in tattooing and piercing. Commenting on the results of the research, European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin noted that: 'If people want to tattoo or pierce their bodies, we would like them to do so with proper health and safety guarantees. I hope the results from our EU research will raise awareness of the hazards associated with this practice and encourage practitioners in the tattooing profession to respect safety requirements, and policy makers across Europe to take appropriate steps to address this issue.' In the absence of specific legislation at national and European level, the Council of Europe recently took action and adopted a resolution, detailing a set of principles on which governments should base their national legislation. Specifically, the resolution seeks to introduce legislation on the composition, microbiological purity and labelling of products used for tattooing, and also on hygiene controls for premises and practices.