Home› Health & Wellbeing
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨
Options

blue blood

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in Health & Wellbeing
okay so at School for many years my teachers always said that we had blue blood inside and when its hits oxgen it turns blue.

I believed that for years unit i did a first aid class and the teacher said blood is red inside.

Can't believe the teachers said that.
Anyway have you ever heard it before?

Comments

  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If you compare two tubes of blood, one that's arterial (going away from the heart) and venous (blood returning to the heart) then it's a much darker red colour, than bright red arterial blood.

    It's often depicted as blue in many medical diagrams, and veins look blue/green through the skin but that's due to wavelengths or some such.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Same I was always told that too.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Whole blood is not blue. It is either bright red (with oxygen) or dark red (without oxygen). Skin pigments and blood vessel coverings often make the blood seem bluish when looking at vessels on the skin.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    This must be a common thing - we had a discussion once at work, years ago, and a LOT of people actually did think blood is blue in some parts of your body. Even people who'd had blood tests done (although some of those thought you had blood taken from an artery, but that's a whole other story).

    Any secondary science teachers here that can stand up for themselves?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hmm... I thought blood was bluey/purple too. :blush:
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I have never thought it was blue


    *genius*
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No I knew blood was red but I was always told about the blue thing.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's pretty obviously not blue inside... have you ever seen any blue blood? It must turn red pretty fast if not.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Deoxygenated blood is definitely dark red - it has to be when you consider that it's an iron complex, have you ever seen blue rust?!?
    The blue colour of veins arises from a few factors.
    Firstly, deoxygenated blood has a higher absorption of light in the red region than oxygenated blood.
    Secondly, there's a decrease in the amount of red light that passes back through the tissue above the vein and into your eye compared to blue light.
Sign In or Register to comment.