Karnataka flags heavy metals in tattoo ink

Karnataka's Food Safety & Drug Administration has found presence of 22 heavy metals, including selenium, chromium, and arsenic in tattoo inks.

Its commissioner, Srinivas K, has now readied a letter to the Centre seeking prohibition of these inks until standards are set and guidelines to regulate their trade put in place. State health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said, "There is no law to regulate the quantity of ink, metals, and protocol to use it.

The food and drug commissioner will write to drugs controller of India to bring about standards as per Bureau of Indian Standards to ensure this is brought under law." Tattoo inks in India are mostly imported and unregulated. Heavy metals in tattoo inks can get transported to migrating cells and organs such as liver, lungs and kidneys, Srinivas said.

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