Tattoo ink sold in Australia does not meet international safety standards and contains toxic metals and carcinogenic materials, according to a study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.
The study analysed 15 black and coloured inks available in Australia.
None of the ink tested met the European Union safety standards, and would not be legally marketable in Europe, highlighting a clear safety concern and regulatory gap in Australia, the study said.
“Tattoo ink delivers pigments and additives directly into the skin, establishing a long-lasting route of exposure to potentially carcinogenic and toxic chemicals,” the authors said.
“Despite growing evidence of the health risks, Australia remains unregulated in this area, unlike the EU where strict chemical limits on tattoo inks have been enforced since 2022.
“Harmonising standards with EU regulations and instituting independent compliance testing are urgent steps to reduce unnecessary toxic exposure.”
According to the study, surveys estimate that more than 20 percent of Australian adults have at least one tattoo.
The EU introduced legislation to address concerns about other studies which found a link between tattoo ink and allergic dermatitis, granulomas, and cancer.
Tattoo ink sold in Australia contains toxic metals and elemental substances including antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, selenium and tin at concentrations exceeding EU thresholds.
Unregulated pigment mentals (titanium, aluminium, zirconium) were detected at extraordinarily high concentrations, with titanium being detected at 10,000 ppm in one sample.
The researchers also identified several carcinogenic compounds, including toluidine and sulphanilic acid.
Those involved in the study were: Mika Westerhausen, Bianca Tasevski, Priyanka Kundu, William Donald, Jake Violi. The study was a collaboration between the School Of Chemistry, University of NSW; Hyphenated Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, University of Technology Sydney; Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong; St Mary Star of the Sea College, Wollongong. The study also appeared in sciencedirect.com.
