Tattoos pose risk of cancers?

The ink and needle used may raise your risk of getting diseases like Hepatitis B, C, HIV, and even cancers of the liver and blood, warned doctors

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The risk of lymphoma was highest in individuals with less than two years since their first tattoo

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The risk associated with tattoo exposure seemed to be highest for large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma

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This is because the tattoo ink, which may contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) -- a known carcinogen, is injected into the skin

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The body treats it as a foreign object that should not be there, and the immune system gets activated

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Other hazardous components found in the inks included heavy metals like mercury, barium, copper, amines, and various colourants

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Ink may get absorbed from the dermis into the lymphatic system of the body increasing the risk of other cancers like liver, urinary bladder and blood cancers

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While not all tattoo inks contain these cancer-causing chemicals, we need to exercise caution while getting a tattoo

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