As a result of a 2007 lawsuit brought by the American Environmental Safety Institute, two leading tattoo ink makers must now place warnings on their product containers, catalogs and websites to say that the “inks contain many heavy metals, including lead, arsenic and others” and that the ingredients have been linked to cancer and birth defects. (Media credit/Thinkstock Hemera Collection)

Some red inks used for permanent tattoos contain mercury, while other reds may contain different heavy metals like cadmium or iron oxide. These metals—which give the tattoo its “permanence” in skin—have been known to cause allergic reactions, eczema and scarring and can also cause sensitivity to mercury from other sources like dental fillings or consuming some fish. While red causes the most problems, most other colors of standard tattoo ink are also derived from heavy metals (including lead, antimony, beryllium, chromium, cobalt nickel and arsenic) and can cause skin reactions in some people.

Helen Suh MacIntosh, a professor in environmental health at Harvard University and a columnist for the website, Treehugger, reports that as a result of a 2007 lawsuit brought by the American Environmental Safety Institute (AESI), two of the leading tattoo ink manufacturers must now place warning labels on their product containers, catalogs and websites explaining that “inks contain many heavy metals, including lead, arsenic and others” and that the ingredients have been linked to cancer and birth defects.

Of course, exposure to mercury and other heavy metals is hardly the only risk involved with getting a tattoo. The term tattoo itself means to puncture the skin. Tattoo ink is placed via needles into the dermis layer of the skin, where it remains permanently (although some colors will fade over time). Some people have reported sensitivity springing up even years after they first got their tattoo; also, medical MRIs can cause tattoos to burn or sting as the heavy metals in the ink are affected by the test’s magnetism.

Beyond the long term risks of walking around with heavy metals injected into your body’s largest organ (the skin), getting a tattoo in and of itself can be risky business. If the tattoo parlor’s needles and equipment aren’t properly sterilized in an autoclave between customers, you could be exposing yourself to hepatitis B or C, tuberculosis, mycobacterium, syphilis, malaria, HIV or even leprosy.

“The potential risk of infectious spread from tattooing (particularly due to Hepatitis B) is high enough that it is a practice that should be avoided by pregnant women to safeguard the health of the baby [and that of the pregnant woman herself] whose immune system is down regulated and is much more vulnerable to these types of infection,” reports dermatologist Audrey Kunin, who runs the popular Dermadoctor website. Dr. Kunin advises to be careful about choosing a tattoo parlor: “Make sure the place is reputable, perhaps check with the health department to see if there have been past claims against the parlor in question if you still have doubts.” She adds that since tattoos are essentially open wounds, they must be cared for properly, especially in the first few weeks, to stave off infection.

Those who want go ahead with getting a tattoo anyway despite the risks should consider steering clear of colors derived from heavy metals. Dr. Kunin reports that black might be the safest permanent tattoo ink; it is often derived from a substance called carbon black and rarely causes any kind of sensitivity issues. If your heart is set on red in your tattoo, ask around to see if any tattoo parlors in your area are willing to work with non-metallic organic pigments that lend a red color such as carmine, scarlet lake, sandalwood or brazilwood. There are non-metallic alternatives available for many other popular tattoo ink shades, too.

CONTACTS: Treehugger, www.treehugger.com; Dermadoctor, www.dermadoctor.com.

Alternative Press’s annual Fall Tour made its appearance in Boston on November 19 at House of Blues. This year’s tour broke the pattern of primarily pop-punk bands that the tour generally features. Instead, the lineup featured hardcore and metalcore acts which included This Is Hell, Polar Bear Club, Emarosa, August Burns Red, and Bring Me The Horizon. The entire experience of going to Alternative Press Tour was a worthwhile one. In addition to seeing five upcoming, talented bands, AP also sponsored band signings and free sign-ups for subscriptions, which came with bags that contained posters and other gifts.

This Is Hell and Polar Bear Club both play more “old-school” punk/hardcore music, which features fast paced songs with gruff vocals and quick drum beats. The fans of This Is Hell managed to get pretty rowdy during their set and started circle pits after the band’s coaxing. However, for Polar Bear Club, who managed to put more energy into their set, the crowd was more mellowed out. Regardless of the crowd though, each band played a solid show.

Next on the bill for the night came Emarosa, an experimental six-piece rock band from Kentucky. The band has reached a great level of popularity, especially with their latest release; a self-titled effort. The crowd for Emarosa erupted in excitement the second frontman Jonny Craig took the stage. Even with their popularity, and their great performance on stage, Emarosa only played a six song set before giving the stage up to the final two bands.

August Burns Red took the stage in the midst of a storm of strobe lights which was complimented by a backtracked synthesizer. The intro quickly gave way to one of their most popular songs, “Composure,” which simply made the intro seem ironic. The five-piece Christian metalcore band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania went on to play ten more songs (including a drum solo by Matt Greiner) with an unprecedented level of emotion and a crowd going absolutely wild in front of them. Their set was the rowdiest of the night, with crowd surfers pouring over the barricade and moshing taking place all throughout the pit. If it weren’t for Bring Me The Horizon being the more popular of the two bands (which is potentially due to Oli Sykes’ popularity amongst female fans), August Burns Red would have been a valid choice to headline the tour. Without any doubt, they are a talented band with a lot in store for them.

Even after August Burns Red’s eleven song set, once they gave up the stage to Bring Me The Horizon, the crowd was still ready to go. Playing in support of their most recent release There Is A Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It, There Is A Heaven Let’s Keep It A Secret, Bring Me The Horizon opened with their first single that was released from the album, “It Never Ends.” Needless to say, as the band took the stage, row after row of the crowd yelled at the top of their lungs. The energy stayed around for the entire set as the band played favorites from their last album, Suicide Season, in addition to an old-time favorite from their first full-length, “Pray For Plagues.” In the middle of the song, frontman Oli Sykes called for the crowd to form a wall of death which stretched from one side of the pit to the other. Soon after, the entire pit was engulfed in the frenzy of the wall of death, and “Pray For Plagues” was completed. At this point in the set, it was fairly easy to tell that Oli’s voice had not continued to go downhill with the band’s constant touring, but had instead made a huge improvement since Bring Me The Horizon’s run on this summer’s Vans Warped Tour. As the remainder of their set wound down, they also announced that the show was the largest United States headlining show that they had ever played. As with August Burns Red, Bring Me The Horizon is another young band with a great deal of success ahead of them.

A sad day for metal heads.

Peter Steele, the lead singer and bassist of the goth metal band, Type O Negative, has died, according to multiple news reports.

Steele, who’s death was faked in 2005, battled drug abuse and depression for years but had been appearing to turn his life around in recent years.

Steele, 48, reportedly died of a heart attack.

As a singer, Steele was known for having a rich, baritone voice that resonated with the band’s Gothic style.

LaCie, in collaboration with designer PhillippeStarck — the designer responsible for the Virgin Galactic Spaceport — recently released the LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive and the LaCie Starck Mobile Hard Drive, born from a 15-year partnership between the two companies.

“Choosing to work with my good friend and exceptional designer Philippe Starck is always exciting. He brings a poetry to his work, and helps us deliver products that combine function and beauty.” said Philippe Spruch, Chief Executive Officer of LaCie. “The new Starck products showcase this amalgamation perfectly with LaCie’s constant innovation and Starck, who is the ultimate designer.”

The two drives both come with a USB 2.0 interface. Both drives feature aluminum cases to serve as both protection for internal components and to aid in heat dissipation. The mobile model features a conveniently placed built in USB 2.0 cable, allowing for easy access without the worry of misplacing or forgetting a cable on the go. The desktop edition features a touch sensitive surface capable of launching an application of the user’s choice. It also features an LED Starck signature symbol which glows orange or green to indicate activity. Both also include LaCie’s Desktop Manager and Backup Assistant software.

These meticulously designed peripherals are available at www.lacie.com as well as other authorized dealers and resellers. The Mobile drive is available in 320GB and 500GB and goes for a starting price $99.00. The Desktop drive is available in 1TB and 2TB flavors and retails for a starting price of $129.00.

“Technological genius explodes exponentially, each time with incredible power whose limits are yet to be known,” said Starck “The power remains, never abating, symbolically characterized by the sculptural magma that one attempts to cleave, to master within this geometrically perfect strongbox. A symbol of strength mastered, of freedom guided, of incandescent magma heeding to the form of its cast. The interpretation is free. But the mystery remains.”

Okay, so it’s not really System of a Down, as the sign in the video implies. That’s clearly just a clever name thought up for the purposes of this music video, which shows 8-bit characters from the Mario universe playing some classic NES tunes, metal style.

While it’s certainly no Powerglove (check out Mario Minor and other songs on their Myspace, and browse their official website here) it does have a music video with 8-bit animation, so that’s something.

Rock Band maker Harmonix today announced their latest stand-alone disc music pack dubbed the “Metal Track Pack” and brimming full of 20 loud, heavy, and altogether f*cking metal tunes.

What’s great about this pack is the addition of six exclusive to the disc tracks including “Bulls on Parade” by Rage Against The Machine and Hawkwind’s “Master of the Universe.”

Look for the “Metal Track Pack” on retail shelves October 13th for the Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

Activision announced recently that two new track packs for Guitar Hero III include a “Modern Metal” collection and a free Dropkick Murphys download, which is available now!

Off the band’s sixth album, “The Meanest of Times,” the Dropkick Murphys pack includes “Famous for Nothing,” “(F)lannigan’s Ball” and “Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya.”

I’ve already downloaded it and already played it, and it’s awesome. I just love the fact that we get to see the Dropkick Murphys on Guitar Hero — their sound is one of a kind, and their music is out of this world.

There aren’t game character renders of the guys in the band, but the songs are long, fun and really challenging.

I would like to have seen some of the classic Murphys tracks though. I know they’re promoting the new album, but I’d love to be able to jam to “I’m Shipping Up To Boston,” “The State of Massachusetts” and “The Warrior’s Code.” But finally, Boston has a little treat in the gaming world.

The metal pack that’s also on the way includes master recordings of the Deftones’ “Hole in the Earth,” Avenged Sevenfold’s “Almost Easy” and Thrice’s “The Arsonist,” Activision said in a statement last Thursday. Would love to see Rammstein’s Du Hast in the next metal pack.