Recalled tattoo products found in Grenville parlours

By Linda Straker

Inspectors from the Grenada Bureau of Standards have con-fiscated a number of products at tattoo parlours, mainly in the Grenville area, which were recalled in the USA market because the manufacturer says they are contaminated and can result in illness.

Since last week Thursday, inspectors began visiting tattoo shops and parlours to ensure that a shipment of tattoo inks and needles, which the manufacturer says is contaminated, is not in the local market.

Head of Laboratory Services Division at the Bureau, Mr. Leonard St. Bernard, said that the inspection is due to a recall in the USA market by White and Blue Lion Inc., in the City of Industry, CA.

“We did not found any in St. George’s, but we did found some of these recalled products in parlours in Grenville,” he said, while explaining that tracing the products in Grenada is a very difficult task because there is no official distributor.

“We are aware that these products are imported into the market, not through an official distributor, but through direct purchase from Internet trading sites like eBay and Amazon,” said St. Bernard.

Besides visiting the tattoo shops and parlours, the inspectors will also be reviewing information collected by the Grenada Postal Corporation for importers who could have used the Post Office to
import the product.

“We are not certain about the type of record-keeping these facilities keep, so the intention is to ensure that all forms of good tracing is done to rid of any such product on the market because the potential medical implication can have far-reaching effects,” he said.

A statement from the Bureau said that the recall was due to pathogenic bacterial contamination. “Based on the manufacturer, these products may cause bacterial infection and can lead to sepsis, a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection,” said the statement.

The recall includes all tattoo needles and tattoo kits distributed by White and Blue Lion, including those with the multicoloured Chinese Dragon Image with black and white lettering and best if used by date as 16/12/2016 as well as pre-made tattoo needles sterilised by E.O. Gas with an expiration date of June 2018.

Sepsis is a potentially fatal whole-body inflammation caused by severe infection and can continue even after the infection that caused it has gone. Sepsis is caused by the immune system’s response to a serious infection, most commonly bacteria, but also fungi, viruses, and parasites in the blood, urinary tract, lungs, skin, or other tissues.

Common symptoms of sepsis include those related to a specific infection, but is usually accompanied by high fevers, hot, flushed skin, elevated heart rate, hyperventilation, altered mental status, swelling, and low blood pressure.

St. Bernard advised that persons who received a tattoo recently and are encountering medical problems, such as an infection, should check with a doctor to confirm that ailment was not due to the use of the contaminated products.