英国科学家表示，纹身墨水中的毒素被身体吸收后可能会致癌。他们认为，纹身墨水中的纳米颗粒进入血管后会聚集在脾脏和肾脏，从而影响身体的排毒功能。英国公共卫生部指出，部分纹身墨水中含有钴和汞，而目前市场上使用的部分纹身墨水产品没有产品说明和成分表，用户在纹身时对潜在的风险一无所知。英国成年人当中，约20%有纹身。哥本哈根大学医院的一位教授研究发现，欧洲人常用的21中纹身墨水中有13种含有致癌化学元素。他提出，用户在纹身前应通过书面形式被告知潜在的风险，同时对这些化学元素的危害性还需要进一步研究。

Angelina Jolie is a known tattoo fan. One in five Britons have been inked, according to estimates

Toxins from tattoo ink could be absorbed into the body and cause cancer, scientists have revealed.

Experts believe ink nanoparticles could enter the bloodstream and accumulate in the spleen and kidneys, harming the body's ability to filter impurities.

Studies have found that some ink used in the UK contains known carcinogens and scientists want more regulation of the dyes used by the industry.

Public Health England says that some inks contain substances such as cobalt and mercury.

Scientists want similar regulations on tattoo dyes that have been introduced on the smoking and sunbathing industries.

Desmond Tobin, director of Bradford University's centre for skin sciences, told The Sunday Times that he was shocked to discover there was no regulation on inks.

He said: 'We need to do more work, but there is no question that these substances can be toxic.'

About 20 percent of British adults have a tattoo and last month Public Health England published new guidance on the industry.

It said: 'Some inks are sold with little or no accompanying product data, and their composition may remain uncertain even at the point of use.'

The report found that red colours have been found to contain mercury, while greens and blues have been found to contain cobalt.

A study by Jorgen Serup, Copenhagen's university hospital's professor of dermatology, found carcinogenic chemicals in 13 of 21 commonly used European tattoo inks.

He told paper: 'Millions of Europeans are now being tattooed with chemical substances of unknown origin.'

Professor Serup wants people to be given written information about the risks of tattoos and wants further research into the potential dangers.

Two years ago the U.S. Food and Drug Administration launched an investigation after research found inks contained potentially dangerous substances including metals and hyrocarbons that are known carcinogens.

One chemical commonly used to make black tattoo ink called benzo(a)pyrene is known to be a potent carcinogen that causes skin cancer in animal tests.