A Toronto public health investigation has found that a west-end tattoo and body piercing shop could have been infecting its clients with blood-borne diseases for close to a year, although no cases have been reported.
Investigators found that infection control practices at It's Just Body Art, located at 1072 Wilson Ave., may not have prevented the potential spread of diseases such as HIV and hepatitis B and C from Sept. 28, 2009 to Sept. 30, 2010.
As a result, the department is advising anyone who received a tattoo or piercing at the shop to be tested by a doctor.
Dr. Herveen Sachdeva, associate medical officer of health for Toronto Public Health, said the establishment had not been properly testing the machine that sterilizes instruments used for tattooing or body piercing.
"We found problems from infection control," she said. Dr. Sachdeva said the store had not been maintaining its customer contact lists, which made tracking down at-risk clients difficult.
She also said a situation like this was "not very common."
According to Dr. Sachdeva, the department shut the store down under the Health Protection and Promotion Act.
"They have reopened," she added, noting that the shop had switched from using an autoclave to performing procedures with single-use equipment.
Toronto Public Health recommends that those interested in a tattoo or piercing check that workers wash hands and change gloves between clients. Operators should also use an antiseptic on the client's skin before starting procedures and open sterilized packages of equipment for each customer.
Dr. Sachdeva also said consumers should shop around before making a final decision and ask about infection control practices when choosing a tattoo or body piercing parlour.
"Those types of questions, if they're able to answer quite quickly" is a sign the shop is responsible, she said.