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Health Canada has guidelines to deal with prevention and control of infection in the tattoo and body piercing industry. Cities must perform inspections annually or when they receive complaints. But otherwise, it’s a self-regulated business. There is no set of federal rules, regulations, or laws to govern the industry.Denise Robinson, former editor of the body art magazine Needle Exchange is now a health educator at the City of Ottawa's Health Department. She told CBC News Online that tattoo parlours and piercing studios are largely regulated the same way restaurants are regulated – with health and safety standards. Inspectors investigate facilities for infractions and studios that don’t meet standards are shut down.

While there is no law that says that you must be over the age of majority to use a piercing or tattoo service, many parlours insist that those under the age of 18 provide written permission from a parent or guardian. However, many of these letters are forged and some children go to parlours that do not require parental consent. Robinson says many of these facilities are in people's homes and are not subject to any inspections or standards.

What is tattooing?
Health Canada defines tattooing as the art of permanently depositing pigment into the skin to a depth of 1-2 mm to create a design. An electric machine vibrates a cluster of needles hundreds of times per minute to puncture the skin and deposit the pigment. The art dates bate to 2000 B.C. as a tribal custom in many different parts of the world, including Africa and North America.

What is ear/body piercing?
Ear/body piercing is the insertion of metal jewelry into skin tissue using an ear piercing gun or long needles. The most frequently pierced sites, according to Health Canada include, ears, nose, navel, lip, tongue, nipples and genitals.

What are the risks involved?
Carla McPhie of Ajax, Ontario, thought that getting her tongue pierced would be fun, until it caused a brain infection 10 months later. She began getting throbbing headaches, eventually fell into seizure and was rushed to hospital where she had a large piece of her skull removed to treat a brain abscess.