Tattoos: Are They Toxic?

Tons of us are inked — one in three American adults has a tattoo — but lately, we’ve been hearing that tattoos are actually bad for us. We’re told that they mess with our immune system and could even lead to cancer. Can that be true?! Plus, are there any upsides to having a tattoo? We talk to immunologist Dr. Santiago González, epidemiologist Dr. Christel Nielsen, and psychologist Prof. Viren Swami. 

Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsTattoos 

(00:00) Tattoos Under Attack

(02:03) Getting Under Our Skin

(11:38) Do Tattoos Cause Cancer?

(18:50) Should You Get Them Lasered Off?

(20:53) The Benefits of Tattoos

This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, with help from Blythe Terrell, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Meryl Horn, and Michelle Dang. Wendy Zukerman is our executive producer. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka and Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, So Wylie, Emma Munger and Peter Leonard. Special thanks to all the experts we spoke with for this episode, including Dr. Signe Clemmensen, Prof. David Kriebel, Dr. John Swierk, Natacha Cingotti, Dr. Sandrine Henri, Prof. Chris Lynn, and Tricia Allen. 

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