Wie unser Körper auf Tattoofarbe reagiert | Quarks

A tattoo is considered depraved by some, but for others, it's an art form. The fact is: Over six million people in Germany have one on their skin, meaning they have tattoo ink underneath their skin. In doing so, they are following a tradition that's thousands of years old. Researchers, however, warn against tattoo ink: Little is known about the potential health risks of tattoo inks. And tattoo removal is still difficult. The tattoo machine pierces approximately 120 times per second, pushing the tattoo ink one to three millimeters into the skin. From the outside, healing usually follows the same principle: First, the skin turns red, but soon it looks completely normal again, just adorned with a permanent skin pattern. What happens to the tattoo ink beneath the skin remains hidden from the human eye. The problem: The body reacts more strongly to tattoo ink that is injected beneath the skin than many suspect. Over a long period of time, the body attempts to remove the pigment from the skin, distributing it through the bloodstream and lymphatic fluid. Researchers have made astonishing discoveries in the lymph nodes of tattooed corpses. Approximately seven percent of tattoo ink leaves permanent health damage. Researchers at the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Berlin therefore regularly examine the ingredients of tattoo inks and assess their health risks. Chemical analyses have identified many harmful and questionable substances in tattoo inks: for example, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are considered carcinogenic, or metals like nickel, which often cause severe allergies. In fact, some of the approved tattoo inks still contain harmful substances that pose a significant risk. "What concerns us are the chronic risks—that is, what happens to the body with tattoo ink over the years?" says Prof. Andreas Luch, Head of Chemicals and Product Safety at the BfR. "If someone has a tattoo on their body for over 20 years, it means that if carcinogenic substances have actually entered the tattoo ink and thus the body, they will accumulate in certain organs and trigger long-term effects. European legislation stipulates that animal testing is prohibited. Therefore, the risk is borne solely by the consumer. This reminds me of a large-scale experiment on living humans." Quarks looked at the 65 most commonly used tattoo inks. How does our sample compare? Authors: Heinz Greuling, Carsten Linder, Andrea Wille From the Quarks archive (TV premiere in 2016). --- Thanks for watching! Did you enjoy the video? Then subscribe now to the only official Quarks channel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/Quarks?sub_co... Quarks on Facebook:   / quarks.de   Also visit: https://www.quarks.de #Quarks on Instagram:   / quarks.de     / beautyquarks   Quarks on Twitter:   / quarkswdr   #Quarks #TattooInk #Health