Bad tattoo ink blamed for skin infection outbreak
A Thai stall employee with a tattooed back arranges vegetables at a market in downtown Bangkok on March 9, 2011.
The tattoos and piercings look is considered by many to be hardcore. But tattoos and pus-filled flesh wounds? That's going a bit too far. A recent skin infection outbreak in New York state has been traced back to bad tattoo ink, researchers have found.The bad ink was purchased at a trade show in Arizona.
The outbreak has also reached people outside of New York, CBS reported. In total, 19 people are believed to have been infected.
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The FDA has issued a warning in response to the news. "These infections can be difficult to diagnose and can require treatment lasting six months or more," the FDA says.
However, the FDA doesn't require safety tests from tattoo ink manufacturers before the ink goes on the market, according to WIVB. Still plan on getting a tattoo? Good luck.