Skin Infections Linked To Contaminated Tattoo Ink, Say The CDC And FDA

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Skin Infections Linked To Contaminated Tattoo Ink, Say The CDC And FDA
August 24, 2012
Melanie Haiken
Forbes

A tattoo isn't so pretty when marred by infection

Get inked and you might get more than you bargained for, warns the CDC in a new announcement today.

The infections are caused by two non-tubercular bacterial strains, Myobacterium abscesses and Myobacterium chelonae, both of which are common in drinking water and aren’t killed off by chlorine. Previous reports of infections from tattoos have found that tattoo parlors mixed powdered ink with contaminated water, but in many of the new cases it appears to be purchased undiluted ink itself that’s contaminated, probably during manufacture.

The FDA also issued a warning, calling on tattoo artists, ink and pigment manufacturers, public health officials, and health care professionals, as well as consumers, to become educated. According to the FDA, Mycobacteria chelonae can also cause lung disease, eye problems, and infections of the joints and organs.

The reported cases are in clusters: 19 people in New York were infected between September and December 2011, all of whom were tattooed with gray ink from one particular company and by the same artist. Other clusters have been discovered in Washington, Colorado, and Iowa, and all those infected were tattooed with one of four different brands of ink.

Infections can be fairly mild, like a rash with blisters, or they can become severe abscesses requiring surgery and months of antibiotics to cure.

In the report, the inks are only identified as “gray ink from company A” and “black ink from company B”. When asked why the CDC was not identifying the particular companies and brands of ink, a CDC official was quoted as saying that the agency believes the problem is “widespread in the industry.” Not exactly encouraging.