Public health warning issued over Mississauga tattoo parlour

Public health officials are urging customers of a Mississauga, Ont., tattoo and piercing parlour over the last four years to get blood tests over concernsas many as 3,000 clientsmay have been exposed to hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.

Peoplewho received tattoos or piercings atMoonshin Tattoobetween March 2005 and February 2009 may have been exposed to equipment that was not adequately sterilized, said Dr. Eileen de Villa, associate medical officer of health for Peel Region.

De Villa said ahealthinspection of the facility last month, the first since 2005, determined that the studio did not have appropriate records to showit had sent samples from itssterilizerto be approvedby an independent lab.

But she classified the risk to clients as "very low."

She said public health officialsdon't have the resources to conductyearly inspectionsof such businesses, a standard set by the provincial Health Ministry.

"There has been a shortage of resources, particularly from the province, which has impacted the level of service that we would like to provide," de Villa told CBC News.

"At the end of the day, the onus is on the operators."

Store 'free to operate'

Since the February inspection, the shop has met all required standards for documentationand is "free to operate," de Villa added.

"They were asked to meet certain standards and they have done so," she said.

Public health officials are calling clients directly from a list provided by thestudio to advise them and discuss testing, she said.

Thosewho received tattoos or body piercings at the studio should take the following precautions until blood tests rule out possible infections:

• Use a condom during sexual activity.
• Avoid sharing clippers, razors, toothbrushes, needles and other personal items.
• Postpone blood donations.

The shop'swebsite sayssafety isits "No. 1concern" andstates thattools and equipment for tattooing "have been properly sterilized and kept in a sterile condition."

Calls placed by CBC News to the studio, which is regularly closed on Tuesdays, were not answered. The shop's voicemail system was full.