Canada: Tattoo Shop Owner Faces 21 Health Charges

Eric Anderson, who ran the now-closed Zipp's Tattoo and Museum Shoppe on Whyte Avenue in Edmonton, faces 21 charges relating to health code violations and obstruction of justice. The health charges include keeping improper records of customers, improperly discarding used needles, and reusing tattoo and piercing equipment. When they initially approached Anderson, public health officials say he told them his shop was closed and he was only tattooing dogs. Customers of the shop should be tested for HIV and hepatitis B and C, said Rob O'Neill, prosecutor for Alberta Health Services. In business at a different Whyte Avenue location since 1978, Zipp's was also closed for infection control and unsanitary conditions in 2007. Anderson's first court date is set for Oct. 27; he faces a maximum fine of $42,000 (US $39,647).

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