A local tattoo artist is worried that a proposed ordinance will hurt both his business and safety for teens looking to get piercings.

Steve Kish, owner of Unusual Expressions in Austin, said if 16- and 17-year-olds cannot come to his shop for their piercing, they will either do it themselves or drive out of town.

The proposed ordinance requires minors (under 18) to get parental signatures as well as have a parent present during any piercing, tattooing, branding or scarring.

While he agrees with the 18-year-age minimum for tattooings, and does not believe in branding or scarring, the age restriction would indirectly affect his tattoo business as well, he said.

"Usually, where you get your first piercing, that's where you go for your first tattoo," he said.

He estimates he will lose about 30 percent of his business.

"They're not going to go one at a time," he said. "They're going to go in carloads."

The biggest risk for teens is that they will go to underground artists or try to do the job themselves, he said. Many of his clients come because of a botched job from an unlicensed person or themselves. That problem would only get bigger, he said.

"You're going to have everybody and their brothers sticking needles into themselves," he said.

City Administrator Jim Hurm said Kish's worries are premature. The proposed ordinance is on the work session agenda for Tuesday, and the council has not even had a chance to look it over yet, he said.

"That's what you have a work session for," he said, "to talk and work things out."

Kish actually initiated the council's consideration to change the ordinance, which was vague on a number of points, including age limits. He said many of his ideas were well received by the city, but he is very concerned about the 18-year-old minimum age issue.

www.austindailyherald.com

Tattooing and ear/body piercing are increasingly popular among Canadians. These procedures, however, may increase the risk of contracting a number of serious blood-borne diseases.

Background

Tattoos and ear/body piercings are very popular, especially among those aged 18 to 22. Between 73 and 83 percent of women in the U.S. have had their ears pierced. An American university survey in 2001 found that 51 percent of students had piercings and 23 percent had tattoos. U.S. studies show that the number of women with tattoos quadrupled between 1960 and 1980. The number of tattooing and piercing shops in Canada has increased dramatically in the last few years.

Health Risks of Tattooing and Ear/Body Piercing

Skin and mucous membranes in the mouth and nose protect you from many infections. Both tattooing and ear/body piercing procedures involve piercing the skin or mucous membrane with a needle or other sharp instrument.

Unless the needles are new, sterilized for each treatment and properly handled by the practitioner, instruments can be contaminated with the infected blood or bodily fluids of another person.

You may also have bacteria or viruses present on your skin that can enter your body and cause infection when your skin is pierced. Practitioners who do the tattooing and piercing are also at risk of becoming infected through accidental cuts and punctures.

It is possible to transmit viral infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and herpes through tattooing and piercing, as well as bacterial skin infections such as Streptococcus and Staphylococcus.

Minimizing your Risk

The best protection against disease and infection is to carefully choose where you obtain your tattoo or piercing. Here is a list of conditions on which to base your decision:

-- The work area is clean and brightly lit.

-- The shop uses instruments that are easily cleaned and sterilized, such as stainless steel.

-- Tattooing is done with sterile needles in a tattoo machine that has been wiped with alcohol after each use and covered with new disposable plastic.

-- Ear piercing is done with a sterile needle or a gun that has a disposable sterile cartridge to holds the studs.

-- Tattoo and piercing needles are new and sterile for each treatment. They should never be reused.

-- Those performing the procedure have clean working habits, including washing their hands before and after procedures, after handling contaminated items, before opening and handling sterile supplies, and before putting on and after removing their gloves.

-- Practitioners wear medical gloves during the procedures.

-- The shop has a "clean zone" and a "dirty zone." The procedure should be done in the clean zone where only sterilized packages and clean equipment are kept and used. The dirty zone is the contaminated area where there is a washing sink and holding basin for disinfecting implements.

-- Work surfaces are made of smooth and non-porous materials.

-- All surfaces are cleaned with a solution of bleach and water.

-- The shop has a sterilizing machine, preferably a steam sterilizer, and test strips are used to indicate whether the machine is operating correctly.

-- Waste is disposed of properly, with blood-contaminated waste placed in plastic bags and tied before being added to the regular waste.

-- Sharp implements used to pierce the skin are put into puncture-resistant containers.

-- Oral and written instructions are given to clients for personal care after the procedure.

You can minimize your own risk of infection by taking these precautions:

-- Choose a good professional practitioner who has been trained.

-- Ask the practitioner if she or he follows the Infection Control Guidelines for tattooing and ear/body piercing.

-- Never tattoo or pierce skin that has a cut or break, pimples, warts, or other abnormalities.

-- Make sure the practitioner disinfects the skin area using a skin antiseptic before the procedure.

-- Wash your hands thoroughly before you apply lotions or ointments to the tattooed or pierced area after the procedure or when rotating the jewelry, as directed by the practitioner. If you are concerned that the tattoo or piercing is infected, contact your doctor or local health unit.

-- Hepatitis B vaccine will help protect you from hepatitis B, but there is no vaccine for hepatitis C or HIV.

www.medicalnewstoday.com

The Cumberland County Coroner's Office is still trying to identify a woman's body found Friday on the north side of the turnpike in West Pennsboro Township. The case is being investigated as a homicide.

The office has released more information about the unidentified body who they are now referring to as "Jane Turnpike Doe."

"Everything at this point is ongoing" in the investigation into her identity, Chief Deputy Coroner Todd Eckenrode said this morning.

Photos expected

He says the coroner's office is planning to release photographs later today of the jewelry she was wearing and a blue tattoo on her left leg just above the ankle.

An earlier news release from the coroner's office describes the needle-piercing as ""non-professional tattoo... appears to be the outline of a bird."

Eckenrode says the coroner's office was able to obtain fingerprints, but are hoping someone will recognize her description and be able to identify her.



Sunday's autopsy revealed the woman was white, between the ages of 21 and 35. She was 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-8 with brown, shoulder-length hair and weighed between 110 and 130 pounds.

Clothing described

"Jane Turnpike Doe" was wearing a light colored loose-fitting short-sleeve pullover tunic with a scoop neck and floral print and white, 100 percent cotton shorts with an elastic waistband and a drawstring, size "PS" - petite small, the release says.

She also wore a white underwire bra with "a tiny floral pattern" and white lace bikini panties.

Authorities believe she died more than a week before a motorist spotted the body Friday.


www.cumberlink.com

Bill would authorize only doctors, dentists to perform cosmetic fad

In between giggles Tuesday, the House of Representatives approved a bill to limit the latest fad in "body modification" called tongue splitting.

The bill, which now moves to the Senate, would make it illegal for anyone other than a doctor or a dentist to perform the procedure that involves splitting the tongue down the middle to give a lizard-like appearance. Violators could face up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine, if the measure becomes law.

Rep. John F. Van Sant, D- Woodcrest, who sponsored the measure, said he has never seen anyone who had their tongue split, nor does he know of medical difficulties associated with the procedure. But he said he wanted to stop it before it caught on in Delaware.

"This is irreversible," he said.

Some House members found the topic amusing.

Giggles escaped when the "tongue splitting" bill was announced, and Rep. Bruce Reynolds, R-Country Woods, feigned a heavy lisp when he rose to ask if the bill was retroactive.

Rep. Bruce Ennis, D-Smyrna, said he would vote for the bill just because it would effectively prohibit legislators from "speaking with a forked tongue."

The mood got so light that Minority Leader Robert F. Gilligan, D-Sherwood Park, asked whether the legislative staff party was still going on.

At least one Web site already is taking Delaware legislators to task for considering the measure.

A. Robert Basile wrote on the West Virginia-based Web site Gen-X Jewelry that the restrictions limit freedom of expression and the pursuit of happiness. He said the procedure is equivalent to ear piercing.

Van Sant said his bill, if approved, would not curb freedom of expression because adults, or minors with notarized permission from their parents, still could get it done if they could find a willing physician or dentist.

www.delawareonline.com

I know this has been addressed, to varying degrees a number of times before. However, today I experienced first hand just how bad the medical profession can be when it comes to steralisation.

A little bit of background. My interest in body modification was, shall we day, piqued, when I was eleven. I had met a girl at school, she would later become the second person I could call friend, and she asked me what I knew about piercings. I told her that I didn't know much. At this point all I had seen were a few people with nose rings. After inquiring as to why, she told me she wanted a lip piercing "You know, Cerra, the one that's in your chin?". She and I decided that we would pierce our lips one night while she stayed at my house. We did the piercings as planned, in a certainly less than brilliant way, and I became really interested in who was offering a service that would pierce more than lobes or nostrils.

I found a couple of local studios, found out that there were age requirements and set to work on a way around them. I managed to find a way to fool the piercing artist and so my tongue was pierced. I don't remember much about the experience, except that he seemed to change his gloves an awful lot and that everything smelled like a 'hospital'. But wait. Did hospitals really smell like that? Did hospitals really smell of disinfectant? No, they didn't, they didn't really smell of anything. Not outside of the emergency room, not to me, anyway, when I finally started thinking about it.

Years went by, I would like to think I've learned a lot since I was eleven. Out of ten professional modification experiences, I've been to eight different studios in two different countries. Some of them weren't great - in my eyes, and then some of them couldn't have been better - in my eyes. I remember times when I had to wait while the area I was going to be in was prepped. I remember times when jewelry or needles were dropped and replaced with fresh supplies. I remember one experience where the phone wouldn't stop ringing, and the artist washed their hands and changed their gloves ten times, just to be sure everything was still clean.

Today, I went to have blood drawn. Today I went into a hospital full of fear. My fear was first of needles and but now it is fear for my health. I realise that may sound like an exaggeration, but let me assure you it is not. I met with the doctor who would draw my blood. Upon meeting me her hands were ungloved, I was sat in the chair and she told me she would be right back, as she had to wash their hands. (Un?)lucky for me, I was able to see the sink. I watched as taps were turned, no foot pedals to be seen. I watched next as the taps were turned off. Instead of using paper towel (or even her elbows), she just used her bare hands. I then watched as gloves were taken out of a box. She put them on her hands, seemingly satiated that she was clean enough.

The doctor came back over to me then and said I looked a bit pale. I don't doubt that I was pale, I have a fear of needles that even I don't understand. Despite my best efforts, I still find it very hard to relax when I know I'm about to be stuck with a needle. Be it in the interest of my physical health or my mental health. The doctor went to get me a glass of water. She didn't remove her gloves, yet she touched the dirty taps with her gloved hands. I drank the water and blood was drawn, and the doctor was still on the same pair of gloves. I waited for her to ask me to watch as she disposed of the needle she used, I waited for her to reassure me that my needle wouldn't be used on anyone else.

I'll have to admit that I was too worried about the needle entering my skin to even being to worry about my safety. I'll have to admit that I am more worried now, than I ever was after any modification, about contacting a blood borne virus. I'm not sure why I didn't say something early today. I guess I'm like most people. We seem to somehow believe the degree a doctor hangs on the wall stating that they are a professional in their field is magically going to make them one. We put our trust in these people who appear to blatantly ignore thoughts of cross-contamination.

In Canada we've already had numerous problems with our blood services. I will admit, that it's unlikely I'll end up ill, I will admit that I'm putting myself at risk when I have modifications done as well. But I can say, undoubtedly, that I feel a lot safer in the hands of the artists I go to than I did today while having my blood tested. I almost feel a bit of shame to think that when I gave blood today, it was to be tested for Hepatitis B+C but ended up writing a piece for BME about improper steralisation methods at my local hospital. Maybe it's not, as so many doctors will say, the piercing and tattoo artists that we have to worry about, but the doctors and nurses we never question.

Cerra
www.bmezine.com

Health officials have begun researching regulations on piercing, other body art.

BETHLEHEM -- Regulating tattoo parlors to maintain public health may not be necessary, and enforcing any health ordinances that relate to tattoo parlors may be difficult, city health officials said Friday.

Bethlehem Health Bureau officials reported on the issue Friday during the monthly meeting of the Bethlehem Health Board. The bureau was prompted to action when a local businesswoman told city council she was concerned tattoo and body piercing parlors are unregulated.

Lucy Lennon, owner of the Dancing Fish Restaurant on Third Street, told city council members June 1 the popularity of piercing and tattooing should be a concern because anybody with a business license can open a parlor.

Lennon wasn't speaking against tattoos -- in fact, she said she has several of them.

Health Director Judith Maloney and other officials have begun researching tattoo regulation and visiting the city's half-dozen known parlors. Maloney questioned whether it was a public health issue, but did find out a new state law requires youths under 18 to be accompanied by a parent when getting a tattoo or piercing.

Health Board President Dr. David Beckwith said the city needs to "be looking at our active experience" of whether actual infections or diseases have been spread at body art salons. No cases have been reported, Maloney said.

The bureau studied Philadelphia, which requires a certification of body art businesses. Philadelphia's action wasn't health-based but was in response to parental complaints to the city about underage kids getting tattooed and pierced.

Philadelphia also has a problem with "mom-and-pop garage stores," Maloney said, while Bethlehem appears to have professional establishments.

Maloney said officials visited Imperial Tattoo on Linden Street and found the owner cooperative with their inquiries.

But Maloney said parlor owners are concerned that new regulations could hurt their business by driving customers to do-it-yourself kits marketed by several companies.

Also, the Philadelphia Health Department has trouble with enforcement because police can't enforce certificates. Other municipalities in Pennsylvania with laws regulating those businesses are Harrisburg, State College and Tamaqua, according to Community and Economic Development Director Tony Hanna.

Hanna said the bureau will report further findings to city council this summer.

In other business, some temporary food stands that operate during city festivals and other events now need to get a yearly license instead of getting a separate license for each event.

A new state law requires any food vendor that operates three or more times in one municipality in a year to get a full-time restaurant license, Environmental Health Director Harvey Joseph said.

Current city regulation limits each temporary license to 14 days. Temporary licenses now cost $11 for one day, $26 for three days and $51 for more than three days.

Harvey said the bureau hasn't yet worked out a price schedule for the license. The state law doesn't allow vendors doing business less than three times to get a yearly license, so a vendor working at only two Bethlehem festivals will still need per diem licenses.

On general health bureau business, Hanna said he is working with city council President J. Michael Schweder to get council directly involved with health bureau regionalization.

Northampton County is trying to establish a countywide health department that would expand and absorb the Bethlehem Health Bureau. Currently, the city bureau is the only state-recognized health agency in the county.

"It's going to be important we take the lead," Hanna said.

Also, Maloney said public complaints to the health bureau are up to about 900 this year. Harvey said he expects the number of citizen complaints will probably eclipse last year's total of 2,000.

Hanna said the higher number of complaints -- mostly about weeds and garbage -- isn't necessarily a bad sign.

"We've been doing a very good job of responding," Hanna said. "People understand when they have an issue they can call the health bureau and there will be a response."

www.nj.com