Toronto Public Health is investigating a North York tattoo and body piercing shop, fearing its infection control practices were not stringent enough to prevent the spread of blood-borne diseases such as HIV and hepatitis B and C.
Although there have been no reports of infections associated with It's Just Body Art at 1072 Wilson Ave. east of Keele Street, public health found the shop's infection control practices between September 2009 and September 2010 may not have been adequate to control the spread of disease."We've had no reports of infections associated with this shop," associated medical officer of health, Dr. Herveen Sachdeva, said in a statement."The risk is very low, but as a precaution we are advising anyone who received a tattoo or body piercing at this location between Sept. 28, 2009 and Sept. 30, 2010 to see their doctor to be tested for these infections."In addition to contacting their own doctor, customers can call public health at 416-338-7600 to ask staff questions or to have information sent to their physician to help with testing.As a general rule, all equipment used for body piercing and tattooing must be sterile and sterilizers must be tested every two weeks to ensure they are functioning properly, public health said.In addition, customers should make sure operators wash their hands and change gloves between clients, use an antiseptic on skin before procedures and open new sterilized packages of equipment for every client.