# IF BLOOD IS BLUE **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 1999, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-blood-is-blue/4672 "1999-11-10T01:56:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4bbf92/32.png) [@Frazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazer)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 1999, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-blood-is-blue/4672/1 "1999-11-10T01:56:00Z")
Ive heard that our blood is blue and that it only turns red once it is mixed with oxygen, hence why we have blue veins. If this is true, what would happen if we cut ourself in space, would be see dripping blue blood??? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 1999, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-blood-is-blue/4672/2 "1999-11-10T02:07:00Z")
## It is not true. Your veins look blue because of the refraction of more red light by the tissue around them (basically). Take a piece of white paper, punch a hole in it and place it over your wrist. If you screen out the surrounding area this way you will see that the vein no longer looks blue. Dr. Fidelius, Charlatan Associate Curator Anomalous Paleontology, Miskatonic University “You cannot reason a man out of a position he did not reach through reason.” We apologise for the fault in the sig files. Those responsible have been sacked. ---
**Author:** ![neuro-trash\_grrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ab097/32.png) [@neuro-trash\_grrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neuro-trash_grrrl)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 1999, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-blood-is-blue/4672/3 "1999-11-10T02:40:00Z")
Ever donated plasma? They take the blood from your veins through little plastic tubes to the machine that separates it out. The little plastic tubes are transparent, and you can see that the blood is actually a deep burgundy color. Veins just look blue through the skin. That’s my contribution to world knowledge for today, think I’ll just head on back to MPSIMS now… * * * God is dead. -Nietzsche Nietzsche is dead. -God Neitzsche is God. -Dead ---
**Author:** ![lvick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d07c76/32.png) [@lvick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lvick)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 1999, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-blood-is-blue/4672/4 "1999-11-10T03:01:00Z")
Quite right, although arterial blood is a much brighter red than venous, also people really do turn blue when they’re hypoxic, Larry ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 1999, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-blood-is-blue/4672/5 "1999-11-10T03:07:00Z")
Yes Larry, but cyanosis is a different issue entirely. (Cyanosis? Isn’t he that guy with the bigh nose?) ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 1999, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-blood-is-blue/4672/6 "1999-11-10T03:54:00Z")
Doc, you’re thinking of Jimmy Durante. Steve Martin’s nose was a prosthesis. (Of course, if you had Cyanosis, your prosthesis wouldn’t be very good.) * * * Tom~ ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 1999, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-blood-is-blue/4672/7 "1999-11-10T09:07:00Z")
Better keep listening. Might be a bit about ‘Blessed are the big noses.’ ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 1999, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-blood-is-blue/4672/8 "1999-11-10T13:51:00Z")
A search in the archives is often enlightening: [If blood is red, why do veins look blue?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbloodrd.html) ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 1999, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-blood-is-blue/4672/9 "1999-11-10T14:06:00Z")
Believe the guy’s name is Cyranosis 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TheIncredibleHolg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@TheIncredibleHolg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheIncredibleHolg)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 1999, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-blood-is-blue/4672/10 "1999-11-11T09:43:00Z")
What color would arteries seem to have if they were located under the skin like veins are? Would they look a) blue like veins because of the effect quoted in the mailbag article? or b) lighter blue or colorless or something because there isn’t a sufficient share of blue in light red (oxygenated) blood as opposed to dark red (carbonated?) blood? ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 1999, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-blood-is-blue/4672/11 "1999-11-11T13:55:00Z")
Are you trying to tell us that your arteries AREN’T under your skin? That sounds like it would be pretty gross to look at, not to mention a real design flaw. Sorry, couldn’t resist. * * * Live a Lush Life Da Chef ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 1999, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-blood-is-blue/4672/12 "1999-11-11T14:50:00Z")
Latest in cosmetic surgery: designer arteries and veins. Tired of the dull ol’ blue that everyone has? Ready for a change? The latest advances in laser surgery and medical philistinology are now available to you! You can change the colour of your veins! Yellow? Green? Magneta? Puce with indigo stripes? Psychedellic pink? Road-construction-vest orange? Your choice of hundreds of colours and patterns! ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 1999, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-blood-is-blue/4672/13 "1999-11-11T22:32:00Z")
Carbonated blood? let’s shake him up and watch him fizz. ---
**Author:** ![neuro-trash\_grrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ab097/32.png) [@neuro-trash\_grrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neuro-trash_grrrl)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 1999, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-blood-is-blue/4672/14 "1999-11-12T00:38:00Z")
Oo! Oo! I want glittery platelets, so my scabs will sparkle! * * * God is dead. -Nietzsche Nietzsche is dead. -God Neitzsche is God. -Dead