Sunday, November 04, 2012
FDA warns of harmful tattoo infections
FDA warns of harmful tattoo infections
Officials seeing increase in contaminated tattoos
Updated: Friday, 02 Nov 2012, 10:44 PM EDT
Published : Friday, 02 Nov 2012, 8:19 PM EDT
Published : Friday, 02 Nov 2012, 8:19 PM EDT
(WPRI) -- Today, everywhere you look, people from all walks of life have tattoos. That might lead you to believe tattoos are completely safe. But there can be serious health risks that can result in the need for medical care.
The Food and Drug Administration is warning about an increase in bacterial infections associated with tattoos. There has also been a recent outbreak of illnesses linked to contaminated tattoos. Hopefully if you decide to get one, you'll walk out of a tattoo parlor with a beautiful piece of body art that will last a lifetime. But as we've discovered, complications can occur.
If you want a tattoo, you can find many tattoo artists advertising online. But beware; anyone can claim to be a tattoo artist, but not everyone is licensed to practice. And that, according to health experts, could be a hazard to your health.
Rob Young is a licensed tattoo artist in Greenville. He says his shop is inspected by the Department of Health each time his license is up for renewal. His sterilizing equipment is checked. His certificates are checked. "We have a saying in this business," says Young. "Cheap tattoos aren't good, and good tattoos aren't cheap."
But everywhere you look online, you can find advertisements for cheap tattoos. And the artists themselves, according to the Department of Health, may not be properly licensed. And if they don't have a license, the Department of Health says that tattoo artist is not getting inspected. That means they could be putting profits before your health.
The FDA is also warning you about contaminated inks that have caused serious infections. Pictures on their website reveal one infection they are particularly concerned about. It's a bacterium that has been found in a recent outbreak of illness linked to contaminated tattoo inks. It can lead to lung disease, joint infection, and even infection of your organs.
Before getting a tattoo you're encouraged to check to make sure the tattoo artist is licensed. And check to see whether there have been any actions taken against them by the Rhode Island Department of Health. The Department of Health tells us if they get a complaint about an unlicensed tattoo artist, they will investigate it.
"They're supposed to protect the general public from any sort of health issue," says properly licensed tattoo artist Rob Young. "And these are health issues. And all it takes is one breakout and spread, and I fear that it will leave a black eye for the people that are doing it correctly."
If you are getting a tattoo and want to see the latest inspection report for a particular tattoo parlor, you can. The reports are free and public information. You just need to contact the Department of Health to get it.
Helpful Links:
- FDA Warning
- RI Dept. of Health Rules for Tattoo Parlors
- Licensing Information for Tattoo Artists in RI
- Check the License Status of a Tattoo Artist
Labels: bacteria, FDA, health rules, Infections, license information, tattoo
# posted by Pat O'Connor @ 7:08 AM
Saturday, September 01, 2012
Study: Tattoo infections traced to tainted ink
Study: Tattoo infections traced to tainted ink
August 2012
ATLANTA — An outbreak of infected tattoos has led to an unlikely source: the ink.
With the growing popularity of tattoos, health officials say they are seeing more cases of a nasty skin infection caused by a common bacteria traced to the ink. In the largest outbreak, 19 people in Rochester, N.Y., ended up with bubbly rashes on their new tattoos, researchers reported Wednesday.
Infections from tattooing are nothing new. Hepatitis, staph infections and even the superbug known as MRSA have been tied to tattoos. Dirty needles and unsanitary conditions are often to blame.
But all the New York cases were linked to an unidentified artist who wore disposable gloves and sterilized his instruments. The problem, investigators concluded, was in the ink.
"Even if you get a tattoo from a facility that does everything right, it's not risk free," said Dr. Byron Kennedy, deputy director of the health department in New York's Monroe County. He is lead author of a report on last fall's Rochester cases was released by the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday.
In the past year, there have been 22 confirmed cases and more than 30 suspected cases of the skin infection in Colorado, Iowa, New York and Washington state, health officials said. The infections were tied to ink or water used to dilute the ink. Tattoo artists and ink makers should use only sterile water to dilute ink, health officials advise.
Scattered reports of the illness in tattoo customers have been reported over the past 10 years. But they may be growing more common as more people get tattoos, experts said. An estimated 1 in 5 U.S. adults have at least one tattoo, an increase from years past, according to polls.
The illnesses were caused by a bacterial cousin of tuberculosis named Mycobacterium chelonae (pronounced chell-OH-nay). The bacteria can cause itchy and painful pus-filled blisters that can take months to clear up, and involve treatment with harsh antibiotics with unpleasant side effects.
The bacteria are common in tap water, and have been seen in the past when tattoo artists used contaminated water to lighten dark ink. The ink used in New York was "gray wash," used for shaded areas of tattoos. The ink was recalled and has not returned to the market.
Companies that make gray wash sometimes use distilled water to lighten the ink, thinking it's clean of infection-causing contaminants. But the bacteria can live in that too, said Tara MacCannell, who led a related investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Her study appears in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released Wednesday.
Some ink manufacturers add witch hazel or an alcohol preservative to lower risk of certain viruses, but those additives don't kill off the hardy chelonae bacteria, she added.
Investigators found the bacteria in opened and unopened bottles of ink at the New York tattoo parlor. They did not find it in water at the shop, MacCannell said.
Health officials say tattoo customers should ask what kind of ink is being used and what measures are in place to prevent infections.
Labels: antibiotics, contaminants, Hepatitis, Infections, MRSA, Mycobacterium chelonae, skin infection, staph infections, tainted ink, tattoo
# posted by Pat O'Connor @ 9:41 AM
