Science: Your vegan pal's tattoos may or may not have dead animals and toxic chemicals in them

We post such things because we care.

Planet Green recently looked into the topic and found that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate “any tattoo inks for injection into the skin, and many ink pigments used are industrial strength colors suitable for printers’ ink or automobile paint.” The American Academy of Dermatology further details traditional tattoo ink’s not-so-green ingredient list: “Tattoo pigments may contain industrial organic pigments, including azo and polycyclic compounds, sandalwood and brazilwood, as well as aluminum, cadmium, calcium, copper, iron, phosphorus, silica, sulphur, titanium dioxide and barium sulphate, each of which may be the cause of a skin reaction like a rash or be toxic.”
Additionally, some black ink used in tattooing is animal bone burned down to charcoal while the “carrier” solution in the ink may contain glycerin derived from animal fat. So while Gary may not eat any animal products, he’s certainly found a unique way to wear them.