A glass of wine passes through your system in about eight hours, tested the whole way. Tattoo ink stays under your skin permanently, and nobody's checking what's in it at all.

Years ago, many artists built, inspected, and understood every detail of the needles they used. Today, much of that responsibility rests with manufacturers. Artists now place their trust in the engineering, materials, manufacturing processes, quality control, and sterilization methods used before a cartridge is ever opened.