It has long been feared that there might be a link between tattoos and cancer. The Swedish Medicines Agency has repeatedly found banned substances and high levels of impurities in tattoo inks during its spot checks over the years.
Tattoo ink activates the immune system
It has also been shown that tattoo inks can spread from the skin and settle in other parts of the body. Pathologists have, among other things, found discolored lymph nodes in people with tattoos during autopsies.
– What we think happens is that colors activate the immune system, which recognizes these color particles as a kind of foreign body, in the same way as a virus or bacterium. When the immune system kicks in, it tries to get rid of this junk. That means it ends up in the blood and can spread to other parts of the body, says Christel Nielsen, an associate professor and researcher in Lund University’s department of occupational and environmental medicine.
Tattoos and cancer – many want to know more
Christel Nielsen leads a research project funded by the Forte research foundation, which will try to answer the question of whether there is a connection between tattoos and cancer. He believes it has never been done before because there was a lack of data for such a study.
But with the help of the unique Swedish cancer registry, provided by the National Board of Health and Welfare, the researchers were able to send out a questionnaire to 9,000 people who had cancer of the skin or lymph nodes. Among other things, they had to answer questions about whether they were tattooed and if so, when they got tattooed, where they were on the body, how big the tattoos were and what color they were. The same questions were asked of a comparison group of 27,000 people who form a cross-section of the Swedish population.
– We have had such good response rates. People have obviously found this important. We’ve had a response rate of over 50 percent, which is very rare these days.
Every fifth Swede is tattooed: skin and lymph node cancer are on the rise
In Sweden, around 20% of the population is tattooed, which is high in a European perspective. In parallel with the trend of tattooing in recent decades, the number of cases of both skin cancer and lymph node cancer has increased.
– We don’t know why it’s increasing. It is said that our sun habits have changed over time. But I think you have to stick with tattoos because they can be a risk factor in themselves, but also because some of these pigments break down when you sunbathe, for example. UV radiation causes them to break down into chemical compounds that are more dangerous than the paint itself. So there may be a connection between these factors that you need to look into, says Christel Nielsen.
Make sure it’s safe to get tattooed
Project researchers are now compiling survey responses, and the results will be presented in early 2023. If it turns out that there is a connection between tattoos and cancer, it can help people who are thinking about getting a tattoo, says Christel Nielsen.
– It’s not about people who don’t get tattooed. Not at all what we are looking for. But I think since there are so many people who get tattoos, you have to make sure it’s safe to do so.
– If you have certain risk factors with you from the start, you should probably abstain, for example if you have a certain type of cancer in the family. So you don’t need to activate anything. This would be one way to use the results.
New rules for tattoo ink
As no studies have been conducted on the connection between tattoos and cancer, the research project in Lund has also received international attention. The researchers are also collaborating with the Swedish Medicines Agency, which is the regulatory authority for the tattoo industry.
The draft appears to coincide with new EU regulations on tattoo ink introduced earlier this year. Sweden has had its own legislation on the matter for about ten years, but there are thousands of colors registered with the Medical Products Agency and the authority has not had the resources to analyze more than a few hundred. In many other EU countries there has been a complete lack of regulations regarding tattoo color.
– This is what the new EU regulation is trying to achieve. But there is a lot of money in the industry and there has been a lot of criticism of the law because there is no evidence of a link to cancer and other diseases, says Christel Nielsen.
Tattoo artists can learn to detect cancer
EU rules include concentration limits for around 4,000 harmful substances in tattoo inks, including lead, nickel and arsenic, developed by the EU’s chemical agency Echa. Some concentration limits comply with Swedish legislation, while others are lower or higher.
– If the new rules have the desired effect, we may see more colors for tattoos in the future. But it’s everyone who has gotten tattooed up to now that we need to look at. These diseases have a latency period and it takes perhaps ten years for lymphoma to develop. EU legislation also requires labelling, and tattoo artists can only use products labeled ‘blend for use in tattoos’. Also, tattoo artists need to inform clients about colors.
– I also think you should cooperate with tattoo artists. Because they, if any, look at people’s skin and you could train them to detect cancerous changes, says Christel Nielsen.
Text: Krister Zeidler
The history of the tattoo
- The oldest preserved tattoos were found on the iceman Ötzi, who lived in South Tyrol over 5,000 years ago.
- The art of tattooing was particularly widespread and developed in Southeast Asia, Polynesia and Japan.
- It was thanks to James Cook’s voyages to the Pacific during the 18th century and increased ties with Japan that interest in tattooing took off in Europe.
- Tattoos became common among sailors but also occurred among craftsmen, criminals and prostitutes. Even in some high-ranking circles, people got tattoos, for example, King Edward VII of Great Britain wore a tattoo.
- Sweden’s first professional tattoo artist is considered to be Ove Skog, with the stage name Doc Forest, who opened a studio in Stockholm in 1972. Through his activity with strict ethical and hygienic requirements, Ove Skog has helped to ensure that tattoos became socially accepted and gained a reputation as a craft.
- The Swedish National Association of Registered Tattoo Artists (SRT) was founded in 1991
Source: The National Encyclopedia
The article comes from Forte Magasin, the magazine of the Forte Research Council on research for people’s health, working life and welfare. Click here for a free membership.
