Many state regulations exclude ear piercing guns from disinfection and sterilization requirements, which causes a public health concern. Indiana requires that any “equipment that penetrates the skin (i.e., needles) or comes into direct contact with an instrument that penetrates the skin, except a piercing gun, requires sterilization.” Similarly, Tennessee regulation defines body piercing as “the piercing of any part of the body for compensation by someone . . . who utilizes a needle or other instrument for the purpose of inserting an object into the body for nonmedical purposes; body piercing includes ear piercing, except when the ear piercing procedure is performed with an ear piercing gun” (Tennessee Department of Health, 2002). If exceptions continue to be given to ear piercing guns in state regulations, manufacturers and users will have no incentive to alter disinfection practices, innovate or use newer methods, or improve training practices. Regulation of ear piercing guns in the U.S. lags behind policies in other countries. In 2013, Mexico became the first country to ban ear piercing gun use entirely (Zapata, 2013). At the federal level in Canada, disposable cartridge ear piercing guns are recommended for use on the ear lobe only and legally regulated as such in several territories. Additionally, sterilizers used with ear piercing guns must be tested for effectiveness monthly in Alberta (Rideout, 2010). The Australia Government Department of Health (2011) requires that ear piercing guns are used only on the ear lobe and specifies disinfection and storage requirements. U.S. regulation at the state level is sporadic and sometimes grants exceptions to ear piercing guns. Streamlining regulations for ear piercing guns and other piercing techniques, in addition to limiting use to the ear lobe, will elevate policy and prevent infection. Increased regulation for ear piercing guns has received support from the professional piercing community, elected officials, and public health organizations. The Association of Professional Piercers (2018) states that because ear piercing guns cannot be fully sterilized, traditional piercing techniques from reputable organizations should always be used. Additionally, some states have already begun to limit the use of ear piercing guns to certain areas of the body. References The Academy of Responsible Tattooing. (2018). Statistics on Americans and body piercing. Association of Professional Piercers. (2018). What is the APP position on ear piercing guns? Retrieved from https://www.safepiercing.org/safe_piercing_faq.php#guns Australian Government Department of Health. (2011). Healthy body art. Retrieved from http://www. health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/ohp‐bbvs‐bodyart2011 Bashir, M.M., Afzal, S., Khan, F.A., & Abbas, M. (2011). Factors associated with postpiercing auricular cartilage keloids. Journal of the College of Physicians & Surgeons Pakistan, 21(10), 606–610. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). Environmental management of staph and MRSA in community settings. Atlanta, GA: Author. Retrieved from https://cdn.ymaws.com/ www.syntheticturfcouncil.org/resource/resmgr/docs/cdc‐mngmnt_of_staph‐mrsa_in_.pdf Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Hepatitis C FAQs for the public. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hcv/cfaq.htm
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