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Unapproved Coleman piercing operation closed; clients require testing
The forced closure of a Crowsnest Pass, Alta. piercing business has reached across the border into B.C.’s East Kootenay.
Interior Health is advising Elk Valley residents who may have received a piercing at the Victor Proctor operation, located within the Tommy Gun Tattoo shop in Coleman, that they should be tested for viruses that can be spread through unsanitary procedures.
An August 9 Alberta Health Services press release initiated the public warning and quickly advised that the advisory does not apply to tattoo services provided by Tommy Gun Tattoos. Tommy Gun Tattoos has been inspected and approved to provide tattoo services. This advisory applies strictly to the unapproved independently run Victor Proctor piercing operation, co-located within the Tommy Gun parlour, Alberta Health explained.
“The Victor Proctor piercing operation did not have proper sterilization processes in place, meaning individuals who received piercings at this operation may have been exposed to viruses such as Hepatitis B and C, and HIV,” says Dr. Vivien Suttorp, Medical Officer of Health, AHS South Zone.
“To prevent the spread of infection from one person to another, equipment used in piercing and other procedures where the skin is broken, must be cleaned, disinfected, and sterilized according to health standards, or be a single-use item.”
Simple blood tests can determine whether an individual has been infected. Anyone who received piercings from the Victor Proctor piercing operation, located within Tommy Gun Tattoo shop, should contact Alberta Health Services at 403-380-6664 to arrange for testing.
AHS public health officials became aware of the Victor Proctor piercing operation during a routine AHS inspection of the Tommy Gun Tattoo shop.
Alberta Health Services also notified Interior Health, which oversees medical issues in the region.
“They have notified Interior Health that a small number of Fernie/Sparwood residents have gone to this establishment,” stated Interior Health Communications Officer Karl Hardt in a release to the media.
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