Health risks are minimal local shop owners say
With the recent case between Pamela Anderson and her ex-husband Tommy Lee, the safety of tattooing has been placed under scrutiny by some health officials.
Local shop owner Polly Peterson said there is no real risk of Hepatitis C or any other disease being transmitted in shops today.
Though it is hard to say from shop to shop, he said those in Utah seem to be very clean and responsible.
“We take pride in our sterility, we’re like overkill,” he said about his shop.
The first precaution is the use of new needles on every client. Everything else that does not puncture the skin but may come into contact with blood is autoclaved before it is reused he said.
James Zehna, another shop owner in Logan, said, “Nothing that comes into contact with a client ever touched another client.”
Even used needles are autoclaved before they are thrown away as a safety precaution, he said.
The real risk is the tattoo shops that are underground or even in malls, Zehna said.
Nate Burch, owner of Beyond Piercing Studio at 47 and one-half N. Main St., said many of the local shop owners are better prepared to deal with sterility issues.
“I guarantee I’ve got a lot more training than people working in plasma centers,” he said.
He said they are more cautious than many in the medical field. Recently, he was in the emergency room with his brother and watched as the nurse started an IV. He said he takes more precautions than the nurse did.
Zehna said tattooing is a very minimal risk.
“Really with tattooing, there’s a chance – the work is on the surface. It’s like a skinned knee.”
The local health department is responsible for checking the shops.
“It would be nice if they did check up more regularly,” Ryan Peterson, an employee of Liberation Studio, said. “It just keeps you on your toes.”
When both of the shops opened, the health department inspected the facilities0 to make sure they were within code.
“We basically told them what to look for,” Zehna said.
This includes the proper equipment and sterilization practices.
Polly said, “We wrap everything that comes into contact [with blood] – spray bottle, clip board.
“People just need to be smart about where they get a tattoo and they will be fine,” he said.