🇺🇸FDA advisory issued: avoid these tattoo inks contaminated with dangerous bacteria🇺🇸

issued may 7, 2025

this is NOT a recall. these dangerous inks remain on shelves and in tattoo parlors, unless they choose to stop selling and using them. tattoo artists are legally allowed to continue using these contaminated inks, despite the risks.

Audience
•Consumers who are considering a new tattoo
•Tattoo artists
•Retailers of tattoo inks

Product
FDA laboratory analysis has found that the following tattoo inks are contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms:
•Sacred Tattoo Ink, Raven Black; CI# 77266; Lot#: RB0624; Best Before: June 28 2027
•Sacred Tattoo Ink, Sunny Daze; CI# 21095; Lot#: SD1124; Best Before: Nov 1 2027

Purpose
The FDA is alerting consumers, tattoo artists, and retailers of the potential for serious injury from use of tattoo inks that are contaminated with bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Tattoo inks contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms can cause infections and lead to serious health injuries when injected into the skin during a tattooing procedure, since there is an increased risk of infection any time the skin barrier is broken.

some emphasis mine. remember to click the FDA link for the full announcement. the affected inks are from the manufacturer called sacred tattoo inks, and they do not expire until 2027.

pseudomonas aeruginosa, according to the world health organization, "poses one of the greatest threats to humans in terms of antibiotic resistance". it is a known cause of serious illnesses like sepsis, which can be deadly. treatment of infections can be very difficult. basically, this pathogen is some really nasty shit. it was not the only contaminant found, just the only contaminant named.

and you might be wondering, "why is this not a recall?"

the FDA does not clear tattoo inks for use before they get sold and used in the US. it is entirely up to the ink manufacturer to test their products before selling them. tattoo inks that are contaminated with microbes or that contain unlisted ingredients are not always recalled, and tattoo inks sold in the united states are frequently contaminated (source 1, source 2, source 3, source 4) and/or mislabeled.

in the US, tattoo inks are considered cosmetic and are lacking in many regulations that could protect people from danger. they are not regulated and recalled like food or drugs are, and there are 0 FDA-approved tattoo inks. it is largely up to consumers and tattoo facilities to make safe choices about tattoo inks, and this is one such case.

basically, I (rune) want you to understand that noticeable gaps in federal tattoo ink regulations are not at all a new thing.

Recommendations for Consumers
Ask the tattoo artist or studio about the tattoo inks they use and avoid the tattoo inks listed above, due to risk of infection and injury.
Recommendations for Tattoo Artists, and Retailers
Avoid using or selling the tattoo inks mentioned above, due to risk of infection and injury.
FDA Monitoring
The FDA will continue to work with manufacturers and retailers to help ensure contaminated products are removed from the market.

note that these are recommendations and not requirements. the FDA recommends these inks stop being used and sold. confusingly, the FDA says they will "help ensure" the contaminated products get removed from the market, despite their help largely being, and I cannot emphasize this enough, recommendations.

it is important for everyone interested in tattoos in the US to understand the lack of federal regulations surrounding tattoo inks. as the FDA mentions in their advisory, consumers are advised to ask their tattoo artist about what inks they use, and then refuse the tattoo if the artist uses these inks. because again, THIS IS NOT A RECALL.

Who to Contact
Health care professionals and consumers are encouraged to report any adverse health experiences at FDA's SmartHub.

and here are pictures of the recalled inks.

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if the manufacturer chooses to voluntarily recall these inks, and I REALLY fucking hope they do, I will add that information in a reblog.

stay safe and take care!

Yeah it better not be a fucking recall. Tf you gonna do? Use a cheese grater?

… this is about tattoo ink. I think you’re confused.

I think they’re making a joke about how it would be hard to recall the ink once it’s already been used on someone’s skin, so you’d have to, what?, use a cheese grater to get it out? I don’t think they’re being serious.

But yeah, in case anyone is really confused– the recall would be for the bottles of ink, and if you already got a tattoo with a defective batch, you should keep an eye on it and look out for mounting health risks.

Do people know about the long term sponsorship MBMBAM used to have with Extreme Restraints (like several months of weekly ads) where they’d have to talk about various sex toys and once had to talk about them in a completely PG-13 way for candlenights. Do PEOPLE NOT KNOW that Extreme Restraints sent the McElboys an anonymous list of all the weird shit people bought with their coupon code.

No one talks about the long period of time when the McElboys were sponsored by a sex toy/bdsm online store and put their hearts and souls into those ads and I’m afraid it’s because people don’t know about it

They also did some kind of thing with Slipshine, a subscription website that hosts porn comics. The promo link led you to a comic promoting Slipshine featuring illustrated McElroy brothers and making a vore joke involving Griffin.

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"jk rowling does holocaust denial" is something that in 2004 would have been worldwide headline material for how shocking it is but in 2024 is frankly so expected that not a single person ive talked to has anything to say except "oh shes doing that now?"

White people will casually be like "yeah I GUESS some men experience oppression but it never relates to how they are men"

Like, I'm genuinely a little impressed that they managed to bury their head in the sand the entire time there were global Black Lives Matter protests. Were you on earth? What were you even doing? Were you hiding in a bunker with no internet access and only other white people that entire time? Did you slip into an alternate reality? Can I go there?