Guidelines for Tattoo Artists Need to be Revised in Canada

Guidelines for Tattoo Artists Need to be Revised in Canada
August 7, 2010
Prakash Sharma
TopNews

It has been suggested by a UCB study that Infection-control guidelines meant for tattoo artists need to be revised in Canada in order to reduce the infection of hepatitis C.

According to a community medicine resident in the University of B. C. School of Population and Public Health, Dr. Siavash Jafari, people who have covered large parts of their bodies with multiple tattoos, by using unsterilized tools, are at increased risk of developing the disease than those who do not have tattoos on their body.

He said that if you go for a bigger tattoo, it will require more punctures to inject colored pigment and you will have more chances to develop blood born diseases through contaminated needles.

To ink clients, tattoo artists do not need to have any license. Researchers have examined the data, which included 124 studies from 30 nations including Iran, Italy, Brazil, Canada and the US.

It has been found that 60% of hepatitis C infections spread among the general population because of contaminated needles, which are used to make tattoos on the body.

Manager of Health Protection for Vancouver Coastal Health, Angelo Kouris has said that there are limited regulations, but they are sufficient.

"Tattoo parlors are inspected once a year or on a complaint basis to prevent transmission of illnesses", he added.