back

Level 3 Project

Tattoo InK: Study on Tattoo-Related Long-Term Health Risks

Project goals

Worldwide and in Germany, an increasing number of people have tattoos. However, only few are aware that tattoo inks, which accumulate not only in the skin but also in the lymph nodes, may contain carcinogenic substances. The long-term health effects of this exposure have not yet been investigated. The aim of the “Tattoo InK” project is to estimate potential tattoo-related long-term health risks, in particular the risk of lymphatic and skin cancers.

In the Level 3 study “Tattoo InK” (Tattoos in National Cohorts), an extensive assessment of tattoo exposure will be conducted in 2024 within the German National Cohort (NAKO)Tattoo InK: Study on Tattoo-Related Long-Term Health Risks

In the following years and decades, cancer incidence cases from the German cancer registries will be prospectively collected for the entire NAKO population. The data will be analyzed with regard to the question of whether the incidence of new cancer cases differs between tattooed and non-tattooed individuals, assuming different exposure scenarios. A partner study (CRABAT) is being conducted in parallel in the French national cohort Constances.

Project page on the website of the World Health Organization.

project management

Dr. Lena Koch-Gallenkamp

people involved in the project

Dr. Milena Foerster
Dr. Joachim Schüz
Prof. Dr. Hermann Brenner
Dr. Bernd Holleczek

Other Level 3 projects

Assessment of cognitive reserve

Epidemiology of Dry Eye in Germany I (Dry-Eye I)

Chronotype Study: Investigating the effects of individual meal timings on metabolism

EpiPAIS – Molecular Mechanisms of Long COVID

Recording changes in health-related factors

Study on the development of complications of fatty liver disease, including cirrhosis