This question comes from the current issue of PETA’s Animal Times magazine.
Are “fish pedicures” harmful to the fish?
—Ethical Girlie Girl
You bet your bunions they are. Fish pedicures involve soaking your feet in a tub of water containing fish who eat the dead skin—and who are starved in order to make them do so. A virtually unregulated industry catches and breeds the fish with little regard for the animals themselves. The pedicures are also dangerous to people, as studies have linked the species of fish most commonly used in these procedures, Garra rufa, to a host of bacteria that can cause infections in people with cuts or open sores, diabetes, or a compromised immune system.
When pedicure tubs are filled with fish, they can’t be sufficiently sanitized between customers, and there is no way to disinfect the fish themselves. The water is also a fertile breeding ground for bacteria, as noted in a report by the U.K.’s Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science. The report stated that even the tiniest cut can quickly become infected when exposed to bacteria thriving on fish scales or waste. Fish pedicures are already banned in 10 states in the U.S. because of health risks.
Many willing nail technicians are ready to give you a safe, cruelty-free pedicure. Choose to patronize one of them instead.
