Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Report by Wilfred Rebetez and Emmanuelle Bressan, produced by RTS Radio Télévision
Can tattoo ink damage the immune system and cause cancer?
Tattoo inks pose a real health risk. That's the bottom line of a Swiss study conducted at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Bellinzona over seven years — RTS investigates.
More than a billion people are estimated to be tattooed worldwide. “In the past, people did everything with inks and there were no problems,” explains tattoo artist Amy Myhouse. Despite the EU’s 2022 REACH regulations, tattooing remains an underregulated sector. The Bellinzona study found that inks weaken immune defences. “The ink is transported through the organs,” Dr Santiago Gonzalez explains. When minuscule particles accumulate in the lymph nodes, white blood cells die trying to fight the ink cells, creating chronic inflammation, and in the long run, a decline in the immune system. “It calls for better control of the products used for tattooing,” concludes Dr Marc Righini.
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RTS Radio Télévision – Ref. 9096
Report by Wilfred Rebetez and Emmanuelle Bressan, produced by RTS Radio Télévision
Can tattoo ink damage the immune system and cause cancer?
Tattoo inks pose a real health risk. That's the bottom line of a Swiss study conducted at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Bellinzona over seven years — RTS investigates.
More than a billion people are estimated to be tattooed worldwide. “In the past, people did everything with inks and there were no problems,” explains tattoo artist Amy Myhouse. Despite the EU’s 2022 REACH regulations, tattooing remains an underregulated sector. The Bellinzona study found that inks weaken immune defences. “The ink is transported through the organs,” Dr Santiago Gonzalez explains. When minuscule particles accumulate in the lymph nodes, white blood cells die trying to fight the ink cells, creating chronic inflammation, and in the long run, a decline in the immune system. “It calls for better control of the products used for tattooing,” concludes Dr Marc Righini.
WATCH ON OUR WEBSITE:
journeyman.tv/film/xxxx
Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/journeymanpictures
Follow us on Twitter:
twitter.com/JourneymanNews
twitter.com/JourneymanVOD
Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/journeymanpictures
RTS Radio Télévision – Ref. 9096
