Mpls. Health Officials: Semen Found In 11 Of 17 Adult Venues
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minneapolis health inspectors say they've found a potential hazard inside nearly a dozen adult entertainment businesses.
After receiving complaints for a few years about the cleanliness of adult clubs, teams of inspectors went in and swabbed down surfaces.
They collected samples of what they call "stains of concern."
The attraction is what you can see when you step inside clubs that feature nude dancers, video booths and sex toys.
But it's what you can't see when you're sitting in these chairs and at these tables that's a problem.
"You would not go into an establishment where you saw blood stains everywhere, because blood can carry diseases. Well semen can carry diseases as well. In fact, it's probably better at carrying diseases than blood," Dan Huff said.
Dan Huff is the environmental health director for Minneapolis. He says inspections of 11 of the 17 places that are licensed adult entertainment businesses revealed the presence of semen on chairs, couches, tables, floors, walls and bedspreads.
He put together a report that was presented to a City Council committee Monday afternoon.
"What we found is that areas that are private or semi-private, termed VIP areas, that's where we found the most stains of concern," Huff said.
Health inspector Dane Huber says they used white light, blue light, black light and wore orange goggles to locate stains.
Back in the lab, they tested the samples.
It's not just about cleanliness, it's about the possible spread of disease.
"Any bodily fluid, whether it be blood or semen, is a source of contagious diseases. Here we are looking at anything from syphilis and HIV to hepatitis, gonorrhea or any other blood-borne pathogen," Huff said.
Health department inspectors say the presence of bodily fluids on surfaces puts workers at risk as well as the patrons.
Again, they performed the inspections because they were getting complaints, often from the staff.
You can read the health department's report here (WARNING: The report contains graphic photos).
