State bill would regulate tattoo parlors
People who get a tattoo or body piercing in Pennsylvania should know that they're the only ones who decide if the tattooist or piercer is safe.
A bill up for vote today in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives could change that, creating health standards to regulate tattooists and piercers. Ohio, New York and West Virginia already have such regulations.
Right now, though, tattooists work on the honor system here.
Christian Zagarskas, 21, opened a tattoo and body-piercing shop Downtown last year. He tried to get the Allegheny County Health Department to inspect his shop, so he could have a certificate to show to anxious customers. But the department can't conduct inspections because it doesn't have guidelines for tattoo parlors.
Zagarskas was working on customer John Trembly of Rome, Ohio last week, donning two pairs of latex gloves, explaining how to verify the sterility of each shrink-wrapped piece of equipment he uses and examining needles. Zagarskas estimates he and two partners spent almost $15,000 -- more than half their startup money -- on safety-related equipment.
He knows it's good business to operate a meticulously clean shop. He had to do the research on his own on how to keep it that way. But if Zagarskas hadn't done any research on needle safety, he still could have opened shop.
"We inspect our restaurants, we inspect beauty parlors, barber shops," said Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Penn Hills, who sponsored the bill. "We felt that for health reasons it was time to introduce this legislation".
The state doesn't need the law, said Tim Azinger, director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Professional Tattooists and Body Piercers. Azinger said regulations wouldn't hurt his Carnegie parlor, because he follows hygiene guidelines.
His issue with the bill is an item that requires all tattooists and piercers to turn over private medical and criminal records to the state, proving they don't have the Hepatitis C virus or felony convictions.
That would punish the 350 to 400 tattooists who run legitimate, clean businesses in the state, Azinger said. Most shops follow industry-set guidelines, condoned by the Food and Drug Administration.
The type of person it's meant to stop -- a guy doing tattoos out of his basement for a case of beer and $20 -- probably won't care if Pennsylvania regulates tattooing or not, Azinger said.
"You're giving the public a false sense of security."
Additional Information:
If you're gonna get marked ...
Most professional tattooists follow safety standards set by the national Alliance of Professional Tattooists, created in association with the Food and Drug Administration. Here are some safety considerations when getting a tattoo, according to the Alliance:
Are tattoos dangerous?
Tattoo needles have been identified as a potential vector for the Hepatitis C virus -- actress Pamela Anderson blamed one for her infection with the virus -- but the risk is low, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A study by the organization said people with tattoos account for less than 1 percent of Hepatitis C patients because the needle goes under skin, but not directly into the bloodstream. Sexual intercourse is a far more likely to transmit the disease.
The other risks from tattooing are Hepatitis B and HIV infection -- also possibly transmitted via the needles -- and allergic reactions. All are rare.
