Treatments of a phthalocyanine-based green ink for tattoo removal purposes: generation of toxic fragments and potentially harmful morphologies

Since tattoos became overwhelmingly fashionable worldwide, the demand for removal has proportionally increased, Nd:YAG Q-switch laser being the most commonly used tool for the purpose. In this framework we investigated the composition and products of laser treatment of green tattoo ink, the Green Co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of toxicology 2020-07, Vol.94 (7), p.2359-2375
Main Authors: Bauer, Elvira Maria, Scibetta, Emanuele Vincenzo, Cecchetti, Daniele, Piccirillo, Susanna, Antonaroli, Simonetta, Sennato, Simona, Cerasa, Marina, Tagliatesta, Pietro, Carbone, Marilena
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agglomeration
Analytical Toxicology
Aspect ratio
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Downsizing
Environmental Health
Gas chromatography
Inks
Isopropyl alcohol
Labeling
Lasers
Light scattering
Mass spectrometry
Mass spectroscopy
Morphology
Neodymium lasers
Occupational Medicine/Industrial Medicine
Packaging
Pharmacology/Toxicology
Photon correlation spectroscopy
Scanning electron microscopy
Sheaths
Tattoos
YAG lasers
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Summary:Since tattoos became overwhelmingly fashionable worldwide, the demand for removal has proportionally increased, Nd:YAG Q-switch laser being the most commonly used tool for the purpose. In this framework we investigated the composition and products of laser treatment of green tattoo ink, the Green Concentrate from Eternal. The ink characterization has been carried out by IR, UV–Vis, EDX spectroscopies, and SEM imaging. It revealed the presence of the pigment PG7, rather than PG36 as reported on the bottle label, along with non-fully halogenated analogues. The morphology is an extended sheath with embedded grains. Subsequent laser treatments were performed on both dried and extracted inks, dispersed either in water or in propan-2-ol, chosen for their different polarities, as it is the case in the skin layers. The products were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, UV–Vis spectroscopy, SEM imaging, and dynamic light scattering. The outcome is a complex fragmentation pattern that depends both on the solvent and on the initial aggregation state. The fragment compounds are toxic at various degrees according to the Classification Labelling and Packaging regulations. Several shapes of aggregates are produced as an effect of both downsizing and re-aggregation, with potentially harmful aspect ratios.
ISSN:0340-5761
1432-0738
DOI:10.1007/s00204-020-02790-7