Local Tattoo Shop Gets All Clear, Tainted Ink Blamed on Infections
By: Caroline Tucker
Updated: August 23, 2012
On South Clinton Avenue, Upstate Tattoo Company has made a name for itself for the last three years.
"He is good at what he does, I trust him," said Juan Hernandez as he sat patiently receiving a tattoo inspired by the Batman series.
But the shop worried that some customers wouldn't come back.
Beginning last fall 19 people broke out with a skin infection after getting tattoos at the shop.
"Wherever there was gray there was the bumps," said Bill Herring, co-owner, who also received the same infection after getting a tattoo at his shop.
"The customers were like what is going on when you can't give somebody answers and they put all of their faith in you that's a horrible feeling," said Herring
Upstate Tattoo received a letter from the Monroe County Health Department on Thursday telling the shop that it had a clean bill of health and followed all of the hygienic procedures.
The health department told the shop that it was the ink, not the artist, that caused the infection outbreak.
The shop says the bad batch of gray-wash ink came from an Arizona trade show.
"(We) had used it without incident so ordered a few bottles a couple of months later and that's when all of the problems started happening," said Herring.
The Food and Drug Administration recalled Catfish Carl's Realistic Washes in April.
But Herring is upset the FDA doesn't regulate tattoo ink manufacturers.
"You are essentially putting ink into someone else's body so why shouldn't they have the same regulations as someone who makes aspirin," said Herring
Herring says he'll be aware before buying new ink.
"It's very scary something I will think twice about," said Herring
But Hernandez trusts his artists and says he'll be back to ink up.
"You
have to support them," said Hernandez.
Since the problem, the shop says the customers who received infections have returned.
Herring says he and his customers who were affected are planning to file a lawsuit against the ink manufacturer.
He says that he hopes that some changes come to help put more regulations in place for these manufacturers.
