Tattoo Artists Angry Over New EU Rules
2022-01-09
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1Tattoo artists say their art will lose much of its color,
2and their businesses' profits, because of new bans on some chemicals.
3The European Union (EU) laws went into effect on January 5.
4Thousands of chemicals used to make many ink colors are now illegal to use.
5The EU says the restrictions help protect public health.
6Officials say the banned chemicals may be linked to cancer and allergies.
7In Amsterdam, Tycho Veldhoen has worked in the industry for 25 years.
8He says he fears the loss of colors will have a huge effect on his work.
9And, he expects the damage will increase next year as more inks face bans.
10Tattoo artists in the EU have had a difficult two years since COVID-19 hit with restrictions and lockdowns.
11Now, they say a perfectly avoidable crisis is hitting them even harder.
12"There should have been a lot more preparation," Veldhoen said.
13The EU disagrees that there was a failure to prepare, however.
14It says it started working with experts on the issue in 2016.
15The EU announced more than a year ago that January 5, 2022, was the measures' start date.
16EU spokesman Eric Mamer said that this is not a surprise or something completely new.
17He called it a "generalization of practice" in the 27-member group.
18Seven EU nations already had national restrictions.
19The EU says there are legal substitutes for the banned inks.
20However, tattoo artists say those products move too slowly from manufacturers to tattoo businesses.
21Angelo Bedani works for Boucherie Moderne in Brussels, Belgium.
22He said the new inks became available just a week ago, adding that "a bottle costs double compared to the one" before the ban.
23The EU estimates that about a fourth of all 18- to 35-year-olds in Europe are tattooed.
24It says in the general population about 12 percent of people are tattooed.
25The EU's chemical control agency, ECHA, said that cases of allergic and inflammatory skin reactions "are expected to decrease thanks to the restriction."
26It also said it might decrease cases of more serious health conditions, including cancer, as well.
27Michl Dirks is an artist working to end the restrictions.
28His "Save the Pigments" petition has already collected signed support from 176,000 people.
29Dirks says the ban is not supported by medical science.
30He also objects to the way the measure is being carried out.
31Erich Maehnert, co-organizer of Save the Pigments,
32said such bans unfairly hurt the industry since people will seek to buy the products illegally.
33He predicts safety and product security will suffer.
34Others say the small tattoo industry is easily targeted,
35while the tobacco and alcohol industries still hold much more influence.
36The two men are already preparing for the next battle.
37Up to now the colors Blue 15 and Green 7 are permitted to be used until next year because there are no other choices to replace them.
38In the Netherlands, Veldhoen is not happy with his current choices of inks.
39"A rose with brown leaves is a lot less attractive than a rose with green leaves," he said.
40I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Tattoo artists say their art will lose much of its color, and their businesses' profits, because of new bans on some chemicals. The European Union (EU) laws went into effect on January 5. Thousands of chemicals used to make many ink colors are now illegal to use. 2The EU says the restrictions help protect public health. Officials say the banned chemicals may be linked to cancer and allergies. 3In Amsterdam, Tycho Veldhoen has worked in the industry for 25 years. He says he fears the loss of colors will have a huge effect on his work. And, he expects the damage will increase next year as more inks face bans. 4Tattoo artists in the EU have had a difficult two years since COVID-19 hit with restrictions and lockdowns. Now, they say a perfectly avoidable crisis is hitting them even harder. 5"There should have been a lot more preparation," Veldhoen said. 6The EU disagrees that there was a failure to prepare, however. It says it started working with experts on the issue in 2016. The EU announced more than a year ago that January 5, 2022, was the measures' start date. 7EU spokesman Eric Mamer said that this is not a surprise or something completely new. He called it a "generalization of practice" in the 27-member group. 8Seven EU nations already had national restrictions. 9The EU says there are legal substitutes for the banned inks. However, tattoo artists say those products move too slowly from manufacturers to tattoo businesses. 10Angelo Bedani works for Boucherie Moderne in Brussels, Belgium. He said the new inks became available just a week ago, adding that "a bottle costs double compared to the one" before the ban. 11The EU estimates that about a fourth of all 18- to 35-year-olds in Europe are tattooed. It says in the general population about 12 percent of people are tattooed. 12The EU's chemical control agency, ECHA, said that cases of allergic and inflammatory skin reactions "are expected to decrease thanks to the restriction." It also said it might decrease cases of more serious health conditions, including cancer, as well. 13Michl Dirks is an artist working to end the restrictions. His "Save the Pigments" petition has already collected signed support from 176,000 people. 14Dirks says the ban is not supported by medical science. He also objects to the way the measure is being carried out. 15Erich Maehnert, co-organizer of Save the Pigments, said such bans unfairly hurt the industry since people will seek to buy the products illegally. He predicts safety and product security will suffer. 16Others say the small tattoo industry is easily targeted, while the tobacco and alcohol industries still hold much more influence. 17The two men are already preparing for the next battle. Up to now the colors Blue 15 and Green 7 are permitted to be used until next year because there are no other choices to replace them. 18In the Netherlands, Veldhoen is not happy with his current choices of inks. "A rose with brown leaves is a lot less attractive than a rose with green leaves," he said. 19I'm Gregory Stachel. 20Raf Casert reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 21____________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23tattoo - n. a picture or word that is drawn on a person's skin by using a needle and ink 24ink - n. colored liquid that is used for writing or printing 25allergy - n. a medical condition that causes someone to become sick after eating, touching, or breathing something that is harmless to most people 26practice - n. the action of doing or using something 27inflammation - n. a condition in which a part of your body becomes red, swollen, and painful 28petition - n. a written document that people sign to show that they want a person or organization to do or change something 29attractive - adj. having a pleasing appearance