Recent comments in /f/IAmA

CardiologistSmart421 t1_iwr1e40 wrote

Reply to Chloe Traicos who plays Gloria Freeman on The Righteous Gemstones would love to talk to you all about the show by GloriaFreeman

Hey Chloe! Glad to have you back for another round of AMA! <3 It's lots of fun to pick your brains! I have a couple of questions this time but will start out with a light one. You've probably already been asked this but what is Adam Devine like in person? I've read that he is a crack up and a (ahem) gem of human, is it true? I adore that funny little man.

- Ruby

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elmonoenano t1_iwr0vft wrote

Reply to I'm John Swierk, assistant professor of Chemistry at Binghamton University, State University of New York. My team and I are working to understand the molecular composition of tattoo inks to provide a broader understanding to artists and consumers. AMA! by intengineering

What do you think the likelihood of getting a black ink that stays black? Or at least more black than current inks?

When we get tattoos should be getting the tradenames of the ink to see if unlisted ingredients pop up in the fortune?

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intengineering OP t1_iwqzivv wrote

Reply to comment by badwhiskey63 in I'm John Swierk, assistant professor of Chemistry at Binghamton University, State University of New York. My team and I are working to understand the molecular composition of tattoo inks to provide a broader understanding to artists and consumers. AMA! by intengineering

Short term, publish the results. Longer term, understand what the pigments fragment into and how mobile they are. Understand if heavy metal contaminants can become mobile from embedded inks. Also, trying to understand how pigments interact with skin cells in terms of toxicity and viability and how light might alter that picture. -JRS

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intengineering OP t1_iwqz622 wrote

Reply to comment by laughlines in I'm John Swierk, assistant professor of Chemistry at Binghamton University, State University of New York. My team and I are working to understand the molecular composition of tattoo inks to provide a broader understanding to artists and consumers. AMA! by intengineering

We haven't differentiated really between EU and US inks. Most of what we've looked at are what is available in the US and the same product seems to be available overseas. In chatting with ink manufacturers, my sense is that they don't really have alternatives to many of the banned pigments (e.g., blues and greens) and will likely just pull those inks from the market.

In terms of industry, a major project we are working on right now is just understanding what's in the ink bottle versus whats on the label (if it is labeled). We are finding a pretty high number of discrepancies, some of which are probably minor (e.g., using ethyl alcohol instead of the listed isopropyl alcohol) but in other cases we are finding different pigments in the bottles or one additive swapped for another. As a starting point, a complete and accurate listing of ink ingredients seems like an important first step. -JRS

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intengineering OP t1_iwqyg8t wrote

Reply to comment by evocon15 in I'm John Swierk, assistant professor of Chemistry at Binghamton University, State University of New York. My team and I are working to understand the molecular composition of tattoo inks to provide a broader understanding to artists and consumers. AMA! by intengineering

I don't but that has more to do with very few of my friends having tattoos when I was growing up and in my 20s. I have nothing against tattoos but they never felt like a priority for me. -JRS

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intengineering OP t1_iwqy6dr wrote

Reply to comment by inkyspearo in I'm John Swierk, assistant professor of Chemistry at Binghamton University, State University of New York. My team and I are working to understand the molecular composition of tattoo inks to provide a broader understanding to artists and consumers. AMA! by intengineering

We've spent some time talking to artists to identify what are considered good, major brands and what are considered poor brands. Until we publish the data, hopefully in the next couple months, we are a little reluctant to share specific brands until everyone, manufacturers included, can look at and review our data.

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In terms of goals, our main goal is to empower artists and consumers. We aren't anti-tattoo but we want folks to understand what the potential risks are and are not and then make a personal choice. Hopefully, that leads to better labeling and manufacturing protocols, which may enhance the safety. In terms of tattoo stability over time, understanding the basic science of tattoos and how they degrade I think is necessary first step in making longer lasting tattoos. -JRS

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laughlines t1_iwqxvlz wrote

Reply to I'm John Swierk, assistant professor of Chemistry at Binghamton University, State University of New York. My team and I are working to understand the molecular composition of tattoo inks to provide a broader understanding to artists and consumers. AMA! by intengineering

Hey John! Albany tattoo shop owner here. Two questions.

Are you looking at the difference between the EU certified inks and US brands that choose not to certify, or feature different product lines for the continents? Ex. Dynamic

Second, do you have thoughts or a goal on how your research can be used to improve industry or product standards?

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