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intengineering OP t1_iwr1yf3 wrote

Reply to comment by beth_at_home in I'm John Swierk, assistant professor of Chemistry at Binghamton University, State University of New York. My team and I are working to understand the molecular composition of tattoo inks to provide a broader understanding to artists and consumers. AMA! by intengineering

We honestly don't know and that's part of the challenge. We don't actually know what we SHOULD be looking for with tattoos since we understand so little about their interactions with the body and their mechanisms of breakdown. Hopefully our work and the work of others can start to identify what we should be looking for. -JRS

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[deleted] t1_iwrtwp3 wrote

[deleted]

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Ojhka956 t1_iws39og wrote

Thats part of what they are working on, finding possible carcinogenic causes or pathways from ink dyes

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Mrs-Anders t1_iws86y9 wrote

Besides from understanding the causes it can also be studied from a statistical point of view - i.e. whether people with tattoos have cancer more often that people without tattoos.

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