Some research has found a link between tattoos and an increased risk of cancer, and recent evidence appears to suggest that tattoos could heighten the risk of blood cancer, in particular. What biological mechanisms might explain this link, and should people really worry about the health implications of getting a tattoo? This podcast episode takes a deep dive into the latest evidence.
Tattoos can be strikingly beautiful forms of art, and they are increasingly popular. According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2023, 32% of Americans have at least one tattoo, and 22% have several.Â
Beyond adorning the body on a permanent basis, tattoos can also provide a meaningful way of commemorating important life events, or they can be symbols of mental and emotional healing.
However, some questions remain around the potential health implications of getting a tattoo, and recently, researchers have been homing in on the ways in which the ways in tattooing could affect a person’s physical health in the long run.
One study, published in ASM Journals at the start of July 2024, tested samples of 75 tattoo and permanent makeup inks commonly used in the United States, and found that 26 of these were contaminated with infection-causing bacteria.
These included
More worryingly, a study from Lund University, in Sweden, which appeared in the journal eClinical Medicine the previous month, found that any-size tattoo was linked to a 21% higher link of lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.
To identify this link, the Lund researchers looked at a data from the Swedish National Cancer Register, focusing on people who were 20–60 years old, when they received a lymphoma…
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