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In fact, this ban is only valid for the 12 months immediately after the tattoo is placed. This is a precaution to avoid the risk of contamination of donated blood by diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis, which can be transmitted by the tattoo artist’s needle if the asepsis conditions are not respected. Twelve months is the time considered safe for the person to develop the antibodies that are detected in the AIDS test, carried out after each donation. To reduce the risk of contamination, an interview is also conducted to identify whether the person belongs to other risk groups. Promiscuous sexual behavior, drug use or travel to countries with epidemics are examples that may exclude a volunteer from donating. But this is rare: about 80% of people pass the interview. Once the donation is made, the material goes to a laboratory, where tests are carried out to detect diseases such as chagas, hepatitis, syphilis and HIV. In Brazil, about 3 million donations are made per year.
“The amount is insufficient, leaving the lives of thousands of people at risk. Anyone between 18 and 65 years old, weighing at least 50 kilos, can donate”, says hematologist Aline Monteiro, from Fundação Pró-Sangue, in São Paulo, a blood collection center linked to the State Department of Health.