Dangerous Ink: Tattoo Artists Called 'Scratchers' Can Make People Very Sick
DENVER (CBS4) - Tattoos have become increasingly popular and with it concern over the safety in getting one. A study found people with hepatitis C were almost four times more likely to report having a tattoo.
These days it seems most everyone has a tattoo, and the tattoos are most everywhere -- from the head to the arms, the toes, even in the eyes.
CBS4 Investigator Rick Sallinger went to the Denver Tattoo Convention and met a man who is tattooed from head to toe. He calls himself The Enigma.
"This stuff has been around since Moby Dick was just a minnow, since the Mississippi was just a creek," he said.
But with it comes a danger. Two men with badges on their hips were at that convention. They were there hoping to stop a potential killer. They are inspectors for the Department of Environmental Health. The killer is hepatitis along with other blood-borne diseases.
"I'm here to give you the once-over, make sure you got your license," one of the inspectors said as he approached one of the 90 or so exhibitors.
They are checking for sterility, and that the tattoo artists have received the required Certificate of Training to prevent disease transmission through blood and other bodily fluids.
While they are regulated and inspected, there are plenty around which are not. They are called "scratchers." They are those who give tattoos to others bypassing the regulatory system.
One young man with crudely drawn tattoos told Sallinger, "I have a lot of friends who want to get into professional tattooing, so I tattooed a little on them, they tattooed a little on me."
Beth Lovold is a tattoo artist and shop owner. She had harsh words for those who get tattoos from people that are not professionals.
"I wouldn't call them friends and I would definitely check out procedures everyone goes through in licensed tattoo studio," Lovold said.
She has hepatitis C. It's not certain how she first contracted it 20 years ago, but believes it came somewhere in the process of giving or receiving tattoos.
"It can cause sclerosis of liver and death if it's not treated," Lovold said.
CBS4 found tattooing kits are available to anyone on the Internet for as little as $50 to $100. Nancy Steinfurth, the head of a support organization for those with hepatitis C, bought one to check out their safety.
"If this isn't your livelihood you might not know what's going on and how easy it is to transmit a disease," she said.
CBS4 checked inspections of regulated parlors in different counties. Most shops are in full compliance, but some were missing disease prevention certifications. One had expired tattoo needles. Required spore testing was not being done on time at a different location.
The Fallen Owl in Lakewood is one with a very good inspection record. Owner Adam Rose gave Sallinger a tour to show CBS4 viewers what they do.
"For needles … all of our needles come single-shot blister packed pre-sterilized," he said.
The only reusable parts are the tubes which are soaked in a cold sterilization and then put into an autoclave before hand-scrubbing in a sink. A spore test is then sent to an outside firm to check.
"Health is a big concern. Hepatitis can live on a surface for up to two weeks," Rose said. "Someone who doesn't understand the cross contamination process can easily make somebody sick."
Plenty of those in the tattoo business like The Enigma will confirm safety is critical.
"Disposable tubes, disposable needles, single-use only; that's the way we roll," The Enigma said.
LINK: Click here to download the reports showing tattoo shops inspected in Denver so far this year (7 MB, zip file)
CBS4's Rick Sallinger is a Peabody award winning reporter who has been with the station more than two decades doing hard news and investigative reporting. Follow him on Twitter @ricksallinger.
