Exploding Tattoo Myths Busted

If there’s one thing the internet has gotten really good at, it’s spreading urban myths far and wide at the speed of light. There are a few myths about there about tattoos being able to explode. The first concerns reactions from radio transmitters. The second concerns reactions due to MRI procedures. Mythbusters took a look at both myths in a pair of episodes, so let’s see what they learned.

First of all, is there anything that can make tattoos reactive? Tattoos are ink injected under the skin. Ink is a fluid that contains pigments, which create the different colors. In the end, it would have to be a reaction between a specific pigment and something else to cause a tattoo to have some sort of undesired reaction.

Radio Transmitters and Tattoos
Somehow the myth got out there that a radio transmitter could cause a tattoo to explode. Radio transmitters are electronic devices that use a power supply and antenna to broadcast some sort of communication signal. Basically, it’s how analog radio and tv signals get from the stations to your house. So, clearly those who believe the myth think that somehow radio transmissions can affect tattoos.


What the Mythbusters found out:
They built a low-powered radio transmitter and exposed both a container of water and a container of tattoo ink to it. In the end, both fluids warmed up a bit, with the tattoo ink being slightly warmer than the water, but neither fluids were hot, boiling or exploding.

Tattoos and MRIs
There’s been a lot of discussion and confusion about tattoos and MRIs. The magnetic fields used in resonance imaging are twenty times stronger than the Earth’s own magnetic field and anything metallic must be removed before undergoing the medical procedure.

What the Mythbusters found out:
First off, they actually had one of the show employees who has tattoos go through a genuine MRI process. The medical technicians and professionals they consulted mentioned that perhaps only one or two people out of 100 who have tattoos and get MRIs have the slightest discomfort and perhaps a touch of redness, but no explosions. It was mentioned that tattoo inks used twenty or more years ago are more likely to be related to those issues. Back at Mythbusters HQ, they tested metallic pigments and found that only iron oxide responds to magnetic resonance fields. Then they tattooed a large chunk of pork with both regular tattoo ink and a special mix laden with iron oxide to test those effects. Post-MRI, neither tattooed example showed any adverse reactions.