VOA慢速英语2021--纹身艺术家对欧盟新规定感到愤怒

Tattoo¹ Artists Angry Over New EU Rules

Tattoo 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.

The EU says the restrictions³ help protect public health. Officials say the banned chemicals may be linked to cancer and allergies⁴.

In 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.

Tattoo artists in the EU have had a difficult two years since COVID-19 hit with restrictions and lockdowns. Now, they say a perfectly⁵ avoidable crisis is hitting them even harder.

"There should have been a lot more preparation," Veldhoen said.

The 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.

EU spokesman Eric Mamer said that this is not a surprise or something completely new. He called it a "generalization⁶ of practice" in the 27-member group.

Seven EU nations already had national restrictions.

The EU says there are legal substitutes for the banned inks. However, tattoo artists say those products move too slowly from manufacturers to tattoo businesses.

Angelo 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.

The EU estimates that about a fourth of all 18- to 35-year-olds in Europe are tattooed⁷. It says in the general population about 12 percent of people are tattooed.

The EU's chemical control agency, ECHA, said that cases of allergic⁸ and inflammatory skin reactions "are expected to decrease thanks to the restriction²." It also said it might decrease cases of more serious health conditions, including cancer, as well.

Michl Dirks is an artist working to end the restrictions. His "Save the Pigments⁹" petition has already collected signed support from 176,000 people.

Dirks says the ban is not supported by medical science. He also objects to the way the measure is being carried out.

Erich 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.

Others say the small tattoo industry is easily targeted, while the tobacco and alcohol industries still hold much more influence.

The 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.

In 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.

Words in This Story

tattoo – n. a picture or word that is drawn¹⁰ on a person's skin by using a needle and ink

ink – n. colored liquid that is used for writing or printing

allergy¹¹ – n. a medical condition that causes someone to become sick after eating, touching¹², or breathing something that is harmless to most people

practice – n. the action of doing or using something

inflammation – n. a condition in which a part of your body becomes red, swollen¹³, and painful

petition – n. a written document that people sign to show that they want a person or organization to do or change something

attractive – adj. having a pleasing appearance

1 tattoo   

n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于

参考例句：

• I've decided to get my tattoo removed.我已经决定去掉我身上的纹身。
• He had a tattoo on the back of his hand.他手背上刺有花纹。

2 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

4 allergies   

n.[医]过敏症；[口]厌恶，反感；（对食物、花粉、虫咬等的）过敏症( allergy的名词复数 )；变态反应，变应性

参考例句：

• Food allergies can result in an enormous variety of different symptoms. 食物过敏会引发很多不同的症状。 来自辞典例句
• Let us, however, examine one of the most common allergies; hayfever. 现在让我们来看看最常见的变态反应的一种--枯草热。 来自辞典例句

5 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

6 generalization   

n.普遍性，一般性，概括

参考例句：

• This sweeping generalization is the law of conservation of energy.这一透彻的概括就是能量守恒定律。
• The evaluation of conduct involves some amount of generalization.对操行的评价会含有一些泛泛之论。

7 tattooed   

v.刺青，文身( tattoo的过去式和过去分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• He had tattooed his wife's name on his upper arm. 他把妻子的名字刺在上臂上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sailor had a heart tattooed on his arm. 那水兵在手臂上刺上一颗心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 allergic   

adj.过敏的，变态的

参考例句：

• Alice is allergic to the fur of cats.艾丽斯对猫的皮毛过敏。
• Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.许多人对空气传播的污染物过敏，比如花粉。

9 pigments   

n.（粉状）颜料( pigment的名词复数 )；天然色素

参考例句：

• The Romans used natural pigments on their fabrics and walls. 古罗马人在织物和墙壁上使用天然颜料。 来自辞典例句
• The original white lead pigments have oxidized and turned black. 最初的白色铅质颜料氧化后变成了黑色。 来自辞典例句

10 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

11 allergy   

n.(因食物、药物等而引起的)过敏症

参考例句：

• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。
• The patient had an allergy to penicillin.该患者对青霉素过敏。

12 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

13 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。