Stricter Hawaii Tattoo and Piercing Laws Needed to Prevent Spread of Hepatitis

ALF Hawai'i Board Member joins with the tattoo and piercing industry to educate lawmakers about hepatitis.

Heather Lusk, Hepatitis C Coordinator for the Hawaii Department of Health and the American Liver Foundation's Chair of the Community Education Advisory Committee, recently joined with tattoo artists and body piercers in Hawaii to meet with legislators and educate them about the risks of spreading hepatitis and HIV through contaminated needles. The current licensing exam for tattoos and piercings is 27 years old and in need of updates.

In April, professional tattooists opposed deregulation of the industry because they say this would have allowed unsafe practices from amateurs. They argued that this would have spread blood-borne viruses and ultimately hurt all of those involved with Hawaii's tattoo industry.

Proposed recommendations to protect the industry and the community include new tattoo laws that would require artists to have hepatitis B immunization and proof of a negative tuberculosis test. Artists would have to pas an upgraded exam, and traditional tattooists would have to use disposable stainless-steel needle heads or sterilized bone tools.

Page updated: April 10th, 2009

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