title: Modern tattoos cause high concentrations of hazardous pigments in skin.
abstract: 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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors: Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Regensburg, 93042 Regensburg, Germany.
authors: Eva
authors: E
authors: Engel
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Santarelli
authors: Rudolf
authors: R
authors: Vasold
authors: Tim
authors: T
authors: Maisch
authors: Heidi
authors: H
authors: Ulrich
authors: Lukas
authors: L
authors: Prantl
authors: Burkhard
authors: B
authors: König
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Landthaler
authors: Wolfgang
authors: W
authors: Bäumler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001391:Azo Compounds / Q000032:analysis*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012867:Skin / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000737:chemistry*; D013552:Swine; D013653:Tattooing / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D001391:Azo Compounds; D004396:Coloring Agents; C069430:Pigment Red 22