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Cracking Down on Unsafe and Unsanitary Body Piercing Practices<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Niles, Michigan, in the dying embers of February 2020.It was business as usual at the Paparazzi Tattoo & Body Piercing Shop until health officers from the Berrien County Health Department (BCHD) crashed the party and brought everything to a halt!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The crackdown confirmed the suspicions of the \u201cunsafe and unsanitary practices,\u201d at the facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And it\u2019s embarrassing to discover that the so-called OSHA bloodborne pathogen compliance law may be merely a thing of the books\u2014 and of no concern to service providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Body piercing involves the use of sharp objects<\/a> to puncture the skin in areas\u2014 like the ears, eyes, nose, tongue, bellybutton, nipples or even private parts\u2014 for beauty purposes. Many tattoo shops offer these services alongside body tattooing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And in the case of Paparrazzi Tattoo & Body Piercing, the Tattoo section was well in compliance with the law. But most of the shop\u2019s Piercing services (except for ear and nose piercings) were found to be \u201cunsafe and unsanitary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In light of that, anyone who has visited the shop through Feb 2020 could be at the risk of bloodborne infections. Why? Because unsafe and unsanitary practices in a public facility\u2014where customers share sharps\u2014can lead to the spread of the disease that reside in the human blood and body fluids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The BCHD now recommend that all those who received piercings (of the nipples, tongue, bellybutton and private part)take blood testsfor diseases like HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why Is this Discovery a Red Flag? Who is at Risk?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n So is there reason to worry? And what\u2019s whole idea of blood and diseases spreading from one person to another?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bloodborne pathogens are disease-causing microorganisms that can transmit from an infected person to another through the exchange of blood or other bodily fluids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A body piercing expert who uses a sharp on an infected customer and fails to take the necessary safety measures before using it on the next client may expose them to infections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The human blood may carry disease-causing microorganisms known as bloodborne pathogens (BPP). These could either be bacteria or viruses contracted elsewhere or passed on through blood and body fluids\u2014since infections in the blood can spread to body fluids such as semen, breast milk, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And since the naked eye can\u2019t tell whether one’s blood is infected or not, it is advisable to take maximum precaution all the time<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many bloodborne pathogens, but the most common infections are HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C\u2014 which are all viruses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A newly infected person may not see symptoms for a long time, which can also increase the chances of spreading it to others. Plus, some of them are incurable which means (if infected) one has to live with them all their life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, early detection and (and intervention) is important in managing and controlling the spread of these infections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, while a test may not disclose how or where one was infected, knowing your infection status can help you get the best medical assistance moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who is at Risk?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Berrien County health department, the shop has been in operation for almost a decade\u2014since 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n