The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning to consumers and tattoo artists to become aware of contaminated tattoo inks, which have been distributed in the market.
The contaminated tattoo inks come in a particular shade of color sold by the company A Thousand Virgins, according to reports.
The contaminated batch has been distributed along the West Coast and health authorities warned on Thursday for people to stay vigilant.
Tests conducted on sealed bottles revealed that the inks had different types of mold and bacteria, including Mycobacterium chelonae, which can cause infections.
A Thousand Virgins issued a voluntary nationwide recall on Aug. 4, but the drug agency is still concerned that some batches may still be sold online or are being used.
According to FDA's news release, the bad inks were of gray wash shades carrying the labels G-1, G-2 and G-3, coming from lot number 129 with a stamped expiration date of January 2016.
The FDA said that those who have the inks should not use them. The agency also advised tattoo artists who buy inks and customers who buy inks or want to go for a tattoo should check on the ink bottles if they are part of the recall.
According to FDA, when mycobacteria-contaminated ink gets into the skin, an infection could result. This will persist at the site of injection or can spread into the system.
Symptoms of the infection will include swelling, itching, redness, and raised blemishes on the tattoo that come in pink, purple or red. A painful sensation in the tattooed area will also be experienced.
Anyone who's just recently gotten a tattoo and has experienced the abovementioned symptoms should seek immediate medical treatment.
The infection requires extensive treatment, and some can even result to life-threatening complication such as infection of the blood, or sepsis.
In a report from NBC Miami, health experts said that bad batches of ink are becoming prevalent especially in the black market, which potentially puts customers at risk of serious health problems.
A Thousand Virgins' owner reported to NBC 6 that an incident of vandalism and robbery in their previous headquarters occurred back in November, pushing the company to relocate.
The owner believes that the bad inks came from those batches that were stolen. The owner also said that police are currently investigating into the robbery and vandalism case.
