Written question asked by Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 14 March 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 7 April 2005. It was answered by Melanie Johnson (Labour) on Thursday, 7 April 2005 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he takes to ensure that the contents of inks used by tattooists do not contain chemicals at a level which is prejudicial to public health.

Answer: Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he takes to ensure that the contents of inks used by tattooists do not contain chemicals at a level which is prejudicial to public health. [222402] Miss Melanie Johnson: The European Commission division responsible for Consumer Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection (DG SANCO) has been collecting information on the safety of tattoos and body piercing and related practices via its Joint Research Centre (Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, Physical and Chemical Exposure Unit) to establish whether there is a need for specific EU legislation in this area. The Department supports the Council of Europe Resolution advising that tattoo pigments used should comply with the Cosmetics Directive, that is that only permitted colours are used, even though they are not legally covered by that Directive. The supply of pigments that could cause harm to consumers would be against the law under General Product Safety Regulations 1994.

Secondary information