Body Art
Body art.... This may seem like an odd topic for a science blog, but not when you consider the artists' risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens. Body art is popular and growing with an estimated 16,000 body artists working in the U.S. today. Body art, which typically consists of tattoos and body piercings, is an art form where the artists' canvas is the human body.
When working on this unique medium, artists may come in contact with a client's blood if they are stuck with the needle that they are using on a client (or stuck with a used needle during disposal), or if the client's blood splashes into the eyes, nose, or mouth. Contact with another person's blood may expose workers to bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). These bloodborne pathogens can be dangerous and may cause permanent illness. If an artist gets one of these viruses, he or she may become ill and be unable to support his or her family. Also, since bloodborne pathogens can be spread through contact with blood and other bodily fluids such as semen and vaginal secretions, sexual partners could also be at risk of getting a bloodborne disease.
In the early 1990s as the body art industry grew, professional associations were formed to promote better business practices in the industry and address safety and health issues. Because of concerns voiced by artists in the industry, NIOSH researchers visited several tattooing and piercing studios and found certain practices used in body piercing and tattooing could increase the chance of an artist coming in contact with blood. NIOSH met with many of the tattooing and piercing professional organizations, other government agencies, scientists and the artists themselves to learn more about body art work practices and what could be done to lower artists' chance of exposure to bloodborne diseases.
To lower exposure to blood, NIOSH recommends using safe work practices and staying informed about problems affecting body artists. Recommendations for protecting tattoo artists and body piercers from bloodborne pathogens can be found on the NIOSH Body Art web page. A few examples include:
- Seek emergency medical assistance if an artist is exposed to another person's blood. If a tattooist or piercer is exposed to another person's blood, the artist should notify the shop owner and immediately seek medical attention. If treatment is needed, it is more likely to be effective if it begins soon after the exposure happens.
- Use single-use, disposable needles and razors. Disposable piercing needles, tattoo needles, and razors are used on one person and then thrown away. Reusing needles or razors is not safe.
- Safely dispose of needles and razors. Used needles and razors should be thrown away in a sharps disposal container to protect both the client and the person changing or handling the trash bag from getting cut. Sharps disposal containers must be closeable, puncture resistant, leak-proof, and labeled.
- Wash hands before and after putting on disposable gloves. Gloves are always worn while working with equipment and clients, changed when necessary, and are not reused.
- Clean and sterilize reusable tools and equipment. Some tools and equipment can be reused when tattooing or piercing. Reusable tools and equipment should be cleaned and then sterilized to remove viruses and bacteria.
- Frequently clean surfaces and work areas. Chairs, tables, work spaces, and counters should be disinfected between procedures to protect both the health of the client and the artist. Cross-contamination (spreading bacteria and viruses from one surface to another) can occur if surfaces are not disinfected frequently and between clients. Any disinfectant that claims to be able to eliminate the tuberculosis germ can also kill HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C viruses. Use a commercial disinfectant, following the manufacturer's instructions, or a mixture of bleach and water (1 part bleach to 9 parts water).
Body artists face unique risks for exposure to bloodborne pathogens, but when proper safety and health practices are followed, these risks can be greatly reduced.
—Everett Lehman and Amy Mobley
Everett Lehman, M.S., M.B.A., is a supervisory epidemiologist in NIOSH's Industrywide Studies Branch in the Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations & Field Studies.
Amy Mobley, M.S., Health Communications Fellow Industrywide Studies Branch in the Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations & Field Studies.
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Comments
Tatoo arists are at risk for HIV, Hep B & C.....
and so are their clients
They need to be beter regulatd and their "studios" inspected similar to health care facilities that handle blood.
The same can be said for piercers
Posted 2/5/08 at 3:48 am
I am grateful that NIOSH is really investigating the issue regarding body piercing because I really dont believe that people understand the dangers or risk involved if the source is not meticulous in placing customer safety first. Thanks
Posted 2/6/08 at 9:33 am
As a avid body piercer, I know that I never really thought of the potential danger I faced. I think its great that NIOSH is taking action to ensure the safety of both the client and artist.
Posted 2/7/08 at 11:12 pm
Before anyone decides to have any form of body art done, they should always research the studio and artist. You must always take precautions no matter what.
Posted 10/2/08 at 1:43 am
I am a collector of tattoos since 1990. I had an artist in mind of whom I believed I could 'trust'. Now that I got the work, I am concerned about his sterility practices of the tubes the needles go in, he was "apprenticing" my fiance for a minute til we got bored w/him but I realized he is not using an autoclave & just scrubs the tubes w/409 cleaner and places them back in his toolbox. I am truly concerned for my life and plan to do something about it. Please help me understand what to do next.
Posted 10/13/08 at 8:52 pm
You are a very alert tattoo client! It is highly recommended that customers be aware of the work practices of their tattoo artists, in particular, their sterilization procedures. You are correct that since the tubes could become contaminated with blood or other body fluids, they should be first cleaned in a germicidal solution and then sterilized in an autoclave. If you are concerned about your personal risk of infection, you should consult your personal doctor or local or state health department about being tested for hepatitis B, C, and/or HIV. The CDC has a link to the state health departments at the following site: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/international/relres.html. You could also discuss your concerns about the artist's sterilization practices with someone at the health department. The CDC has a couple of other websites that you could review for more information about body art and the risk of infection:
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/BodyArt/
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/qa/qa27.htm
The Body Art Guidebook, published by the National Environmental Health Association, also provides extensive information about body art sterilization and infection control practices.
Posted 10/16/08 at 1:49 pm
I think its really great that there is this kind of awareness out there for piercers. I didn't know that the dangers were so great for them. These kind of safety procedures not only help out the piercers but they help keep the client clean and safe as well!
Posted 10/16/08 at 6:09 am
I am a grad student at ODU studying risk analysis. I found your site about body art very interesting. I wasn't aware that there was such a large risk of blood borne pathogen disease among the body artists themselves. Looking into the topic a little more I also discovered that not all States regulate tattoo parlors. If there is an increased risk of spreading disease among tattoo parlors why is it that this industry isn't regulated at the federal level, why are regulation policies being left to the States to decide? Since not every state has a regulation program in place what is NIOSH doing about spreading risk awareness to as many businesses as possible so that workers may stay protected? The last statement on your site says that when proper safety practices are followed the risk of blood borne pathogens is greatly reduced. My last question is by how much is exposure reduced? Have there been studies done that demonstrated before and after effects of safe work practices?
Posted 10/18/08 at 12:40 pm
These are some really great questions. I will do my best to answer each of them for you. I should note here that my answers will refer to the risk of exposure as it relates to the artist, not the risk that may apply to the client from getting a tattoo or body piercing. Our agency studies workers, not clients.
A. I’m not sure that any study has found that body artists have “a large risk” of getting a bloodborne disease. Our study, and most others that I have seen, looked at the artists’ risk of “exposure” to blood and thereby also bloodborne pathogens. We did not study the actual disease risk of body artists and I do not know of other studies that have looked at that. That would be a much more complex and difficult study. Our goal is to reduce the chances of exposure to artists. Significantly reducing on-the-job exposures to blood would significantly reduce the risk of contracting a bloodborne disease (at least from work-related causes).
A. This industry is regulated at the national level by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)under their Blood-borne Pathogens Standard. Individual states, and sometimes counties and cities, may decide to enact additional regulations for the body art industry. Presently, about 2/3 of the states have additional body art regulations.
A. NIOSH has recently completed a health communications campaign targeted to body artists. This campaign involved:
The post cards have also been sent to a supplier of body art materials. They were passed out at body art conferences by the National HIV Testing Mobilization Campaign and are still being distributed through one of our informal partners who conducts industry-specific infection control courses.
A. For obvious reasons, much of the work done on the risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens was conducted in the healthcare industry with healthcare workers. The "safe" work practices identified by NIOSH and OSHA emanated from the results of these studies conducted in the late 1980s and 1990s. An excellent reference for you would be the Workbook for Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Sharps Injury Prevention Program that is available on the CDC website. That workbook provides a lot of background about the history of occupational risk and exposure to bloodborne pathogens as well as references to many studies that were used to develop the recommended work practices.
Posted 10/24/08 at 1:36 pm
I think we are very lucky that the government is trying to work with the industries, rather than against them. Education is the best prevention. This is excellent.
Posted 12/8/08 at 9:01 pm
When you go to a tattoo/body piercing facility you are asking a non-medical person to practice medicine on you. Some procedures would be defined as surgery or even the practice of dentistry and sill NO government regulations.
I would ask why no research has been done to assess the impact this industry has had on our health care crisis. Research related to unnecessary surgeries caused by the lose of oral piercings, the spread of STD's, deformities, bacterial infections (spread of MRSA, tetnaus,etc), bloodborne infections, etc. The inks used for tattooing have NOT been approved by the FDA and their composition is in question as are the adverse reactions to them.
The "artists" are not required to undergo a background check and yet our children are being tattooed/pierced in the most private of areas. Does government have an obligation to do more than they have? I believe so!
Posted 12/11/08 at 1:12 pm
IF A PERSON KNOWS THE RISK OF TATTOOS AND THEY WIND UP GETTING A DISEASE THEN IT'S THIER FAULT
Posted 12/12/08 at 10:35 am
Almost every job carries some risk. As a public health agency, our job is to improve the health and safety of all workers by reducing their occupational risks. Helping body artists to be more aware of their potential workplace exposures to bloodborne infection, and providing practical recommendations to reduce exposures, is the purpose behind our outreach through the blog and other means.
Posted 12/22/08 at 8:20 am
It is good to see that the CDC and reputable tattoo and body art shops are working together, but I was wondering if the same is true with the tattoo removal industry? While their is less of a potential for bodily fluid exposure, some of the methods for removing tattoos can lead to bleeding. I would be very interested to hear if CDC is looking into this industry.
Posted 12/30/08 at 8:42 am
Though we have not looked at the tattoo removal industry, many of the same safe work practices recommended to body artists would also apply to the removal industry. Using these recommended safe work practices would lower the chance of exposure to blood and bloodborne illnesses.
Posted 1/6/08 at 10:53 am