Health officials in Alberta are urging anyone who received a tattoo or piercing at a home-run parlour in Calgary to get tested for HIV as well as hepatitis B and C.

The warning this week came after seven unlicensed tattoo and piercing parlours were closed down by Alberta Health Services.

The shutdowns came after health officials received tips from the public about poor sterilization practices at the unapproved parlours, says Dr. Judy MacDonald, the city's deputy medical health officer.

"We found that they did not meet the health and safety standards that are required for doing tattoos or body piercings or similar procedures," she told CTV's Canada AM Thursday.

"Some of these facilities were home-based or mobile operations. And the concerns were about what was in place to protect the health of individuals using those facilities," she said.

Facilities operating out of homes need separate areas dedicated to sterilizing equipment. They also need to regularly inspected and approved as safe, MacDonald said.

"When you're doing tattoos or body piercing, you're using instruments that pierce the skin and can become contaminated, especially with blood," she explained. "If someone has hepatitis B or C or HIV, the virus in their blood can be transferred to that equipment. If it's used on somebody else without being properly cleaned, then that virus can be transmitted to them."

She added that the operations did not keep client records – another violation of health standards -- so officials have no idea how many clients might be affected.

"In fact, a lot of the operations denied they were even doing tattooing," she said.

Alberta Health Services is asking anyone who received a tattoo or piercing at any of the closed parlours to get tested for hepatitis and HIV.

The parlours closed are:

  • Dustin Blatz Tattooing
  • Grave Marking Tattoo
  • Ill Tattoos
  • Norm's Tattoos
  • Piercer Dan
  • Tattoo Girl

Officials also ordered the closure of Outlaw Tattoo and Latino Tattoo Removal but health officials say the businesses have looked after their health concerns and received approval to reopen.

Health officials say their investigation is not over yet and more closures are expected in the coming week.

MacDonald said that people who want a tattoo should look for facilities that appear clean; good signs include staff wearing gloves and equipment that is wrapped in plastic. There should also be hand sanitizers and sinks nearby.

They should ask to see the facility's most recent health inspection report and ensure that the facility provides you with post-care instructions.