Unlicensed tattoo artists worrying health district

Rise in Hepatitis infections may be tied to unlicensed artists

CHILLICOTHE — Hepatitis infections are up this year in Ross County, and while the reasons may be many, the Ross County Health District indicated one possibility is unlicensed tattoo artists and the tattoos they provide.

Tattoos have become more and more common in the last decade: It’s estimated that about one in four people in the United States has a tattoo, with that number rising to more than one in three for those in the 18- to 29-year-old age group.

While health risks associated with tattooing are, for the most part, relatively minimal, for those looking to save money by having someone other than a licensed tattoo artist do body art for them, the risks increase significantly.

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Auditor General Jack Wagner Urges General Assembly, Health Dept. to Begin Licensing of Pa. Tattoo Parlors

Says one of fastest growing segments of state economy poses serious health risks

HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Auditor General Jack Wagner today called on the General Assembly and the state the Department of Health to step up the state's role in regulating the tattoo parlor industry in Pennsylvania because of potential health risks to the general public, including Hepatitis C.

Wagner said that requiring Pennsylvania's more than 750 known tattoo parlors and artists to obtain a state license would protect public health while helping state officials monitor one of the fastest-growing segments of the local economy.

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Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/10/09/4324697/auditor-general-jack-wagner-urges.html#storylink=cpy