Tattoos: Are they good for the environment?

[bijou]

Q: Last month, I vacationed in Hawaii with my family, including my cousin Gary, who wears his strong eco-convictions on his sleeve … and all over the rest of the body. This left me wondering if there are environmental drawbacks to tattooing since Gary’s lifestyle choices seem be perfectly “green” in every way. Since I don't have a tattoo, I'll ask you: is tattooing green?
 
A: …

Planet Green recently looked into the topic and found that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate "any tattoo inks for injection into the skin, and many ink pigments used are industrial strength colors suitable for printers' ink or automobile paint.” The American Academy of Dermatology further details traditional tattoo ink’s not-so-green ingredient list: “Tattoo pigments may contain industrial organic pigments, including azo and polycyclic compounds, sandalwood and brazilwood, as well as aluminum, cadmium, calcium, copper, iron, phosphorus, silica, sulphur, titanium dioxide and barium sulphate, each of which may be the cause of a skin reaction like a rash or be toxic.”
...

 

http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/natural-beauty-fashion/questions/tattoos-are-they-good-for-the-environment

Oh dear, the DUmmies will be weeping. 

[Eupher]

No.

[FreeBorn]

I think one would first have to define "environment". If I am say, out at a restaurant (presently my environment in this scenario) enjoying a fine meal and a 350 lb corn fed heifer tromps past my table in a tube top, spandex pants and a tramp stamp across her whithers I would have to gag and say no.