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Nonsterile Instruments for Ear Piercing and the Subsequent Onset of Viral Hepatitis

Carl J. Johnson, MD; Herb Anderson; Jean Spearman, RN; Julia Madson, RN

JAMA. 1974;227(10):1165.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

IN February 1973, the mother of a girl who had her ear lobes pierced in a jewelery store complained that the jeweler had used soiled instruments. This was investigated, and the jeweler was found to be using bloodstained instruments. He reported that the instruments were soaked in a 70% alcohol solution between procedures. He stated that he had done "many hundreds" without incident. However, 70% alcohol solutions do not destroy hepatitis virus.

To evaluate the possibility of transmission of viral hepatitis by inadequately sterilized, earlobe-piercing instruments, case reports of viral hepatitis were examined for clues.

A review of 702 cases of viral hepatitis reported in Seattle and King County in 1972 disclosed that 48 cases had occurred in women 12 to 23 years of age who had no known exposure to sources of viral hepatitis. Each of these 48 women was interviewed by telephone to determine if her earlobes had . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Jefferson County Health Department, Lakewood, Colo (Dr. Johnson), and the Seattle-King County Health Department, Seattle.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to 260 S Kipling St, Lakewood, CO 80226 (Dr. Johnson).

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