Open AccessTattooing and piercing – the need for guidelines in EU
Author(s) -
Norman Noah
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
euro surveillance/eurosurveillance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.766
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1560-7917
pISSN - 1025-496X
DOI - 10.2807/esm.11.01.00589-en
Subject(s) - body piercing , medicine , outbreak , hygiene , government (linguistics) , law , surgery , political science , virology , linguistics , philosophy , pathology
As in Amsterdam [1], the impetus for UK guidelines for hygienic tattooing came from an outbreak of hepatitis B caused in 1978 by a tattooist. The outbreak resulted in 30 primary and three secondary cases [2]. Guidelines for hygienic tattooing followed soon after, and were taken up, fairly enthusiastically on the whole, by the tattooists. These were expanded in 1982 to include acupuncture, ear-piercing and hair electrolysis. Laws to control the hygiene of these practitioners were introduced at the same time {Local Government Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1982 [amended 2003] and the Greater London Council [General Powers] Act 1982}. Body piercing was hardly heard of at the time: although it was undoubtedly and somewhat furtively practised, it was not as popular or as open as it is now. Guidelines for beauty therapy, hygienic hairdressing and micropigmentation followed.