California is fining two pornographic film makers for letting actors perform unprotected sex, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.
The state's Division of Occupational Safety and Health said Thursday it had fined Evasive Angles and TTB Productions of Van Nuys $30,560 each because performers did not use protective "equipment."
It is the first time the state agency has taken regulatory action against its huge pornographic film industry.
"What this means is that any employer whose workers are exposed to any potentially infectious material, such as semen or vaginal fluids, must follow state regulations covering workplaces," said Susan Gard, a spokeswoman for Cal/OSHA.
The companies have 15 days to appeal the fines.
The vast majority of southern California's 200 or so porn companies eschew safe sex practices in their films. Only about 17 percent of actors use condoms on a regular basis, according to the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation, a non-profit group that conducts sexually transmitted disease testing for the porn industry.
© Copyright 2004 by United Press International
