Who Tattoos? Anyone who wants to, say critics seeking better regulations

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Who Tattoos? Anyone who wants to, say critics seeking better regulations

By Andersen

Apr 11, 2006 - 01:56:46 pm PDT

When Keller wanted to become a manicurist, she had to prove she'd taken 500 hours of beauty school classes and pass a written test administered by the state of Washington.When the cosmetologist, who works at Contempo Designs in West Kelso, decided to add tattoos to her repertoire, she didn't need to prove she knew a thing.

In Washington, said Keller, "anybody can do tattooing."As tattoos -- ink patterns injected on the body by repeatedly puncturing the skin with clusters of needles --- become more and more common in modern culture, some citizens and tattoo artists have begun to call for tighter regulation of the age-old practice.Like a manicure or any other open wound, an unsafe tattoo can become a portal for viruses such as Hepatitis B, which can survive on a surface for months and, upon infection, seriously damage the liver. But such risks haven't stopped tattoos from surging in popularity since the 1970s.Some say Washington has failed to keep up with the times."Your state, for want of a better word, just wants to put their head in the mud," said Bill of Orlando, Fla., secretary of the Alliance of Professional Tattooists. In February, the state Senate unanimously approved a bill that would have required inspections and licenses for all tattoo and piercing shops, at an estimated annual cost to taxpayers of $1 million. The measure died in the House.

"Many in the Legislature feel that the time is right to regulate the tattooing and piercing industry," said Brad Benfield, a spokesman for the Washington Department of Licensing. "They just couldn't agree on how this year."While many health officials and tattoo artists say the industry needs more oversight, they're not sure how to do that. Should the government require licenses? Perform inspections? Up the penalties for violating current law? Wait for their industry to solve its own problems?Tattoo artists frequently argue that even under current law, the best parlors are as safe and clean as a doctor's office. The problem, they say, lies with the bad ones."Eight-five percent of the shops in the state are scary to walk into," said Gilhuly, owner of Unruly Tattoo in Longview.Like most tattooists, Gilhuly is passionate that the worst parlors must improve. Like many, he's open to increased regulation, but isn't quite sure how it would work. He's more comfortable talking about the ways his colleagues could better regulate one another: requiring longer apprenticeships, keeping consumers better informed.[A previous version of this story, and today's print edition, misattributed the last two paragraphs to another local tattooist.]But others think that system has failed. For Reay of Longview, whose underage granddaughter says she was illegally tattooed by a man working out of his kitchen, one key is to keep tattoos out of private homes. He plans to ask the city of Longview to require this of tattooists.It's impossible, Reay believes, to guarantee that any part of a home could be fully sterile."It's a legitimate business," he said. "They should have a legitimate store."Still others, like Goodrow of Punktured Tattoo in Longview, say current laws might be enough if enforcement were stricter.A 2001 state law required the state to set sanitation standards for tattooists. For example, artists are now forbidden from reusing needles, required to put their equipment through regular spore tests, and must sterilize their ink barrels in a steam autoclave or dry-heat sterilizer.But the rules rely on local police for enforcement. All violations are merely misdemeanors, which makes them a low priority for many departments. And even if a tattooist is convicted, the state can't threaten to pull a nonexistent license.If laws are flawed, it's because the state needs time to work the kinks out, said Troy Amundson, a Seattle body artist."Our industry is new," said Amundson, who has led body artists' recent lobbying efforts in Olympia. "We will have to get some laws in place, work with them for a little while."Rapidly tightening the laws might be dangerous, Amundson said. The more the state requires of legitimate artists, the more it invites others to operate beneath the radar.Amundson believes his industry will gradually develop better "self-regulation," developing schools and national networks to share safe practices. In the meantime, he thinks good tattooists tend to be cleaner than many dental assistants, barbers and, yes, manicurists."There are plenty of exposures that people don't think about," he said.Finally, there are tattooists like Keller, who now offers cosmetic tattoos such as lip and eyelash accents. She says she keeps her clients well-informed of her rigorous sanitary procedures.But when it comes to regulation, she sounds like almost any other small businesswoman."I think we're OK the way we are," she said. "I just hate for government to step in too much." http://www.tdn.com/articles/2006/04/11/top_story/news01.txt