Daily News; Los Angeles, Calif. (Apr 24, 12:04 AM)  State and county officials said Thursday they are expanding their investigation into an HIV outbreak in the adult-film industry, prompting actors, producers and health-care workers to express concern about increasing government intrusion.

The state's Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it will investigate how two adult-film actors who have tested positive for HIV contracted the virus. Los Angeles County also has ordered the industry's primary health clinic to turn over medical records of other performers who may have been exposed to the two actors.

"It's one situation being scrutinized and the conclusions reached in this investigation could have more wide-reaching effects," said Susan Gard, spokeswoman for Cal-OSHA.

The focus from state and local regulators has many of the 200- plus production companies in Los Angeles - many in the San Fernando Valley - worried. The Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation held a press conference Thursday to urge against heavy-handed regulation.

"This industry has strong resistance to outside intervention, especially from government agencies," said Ira Levine, a producer on AIM's board of directors.

Government supervision, mandating the use of condoms or barring high- risk sexual practices, will just drive the industry underground, alienate actors from health care and increase the risk of spreading HIV, the group says.

But county officials said the scrutiny is warranted.

"This is a relatively new industry and they need to look at their business practices and those practices must be ethical," said Dr. Peter Kerndt, director of the sexually transmitted disease programs for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

County investigators on Wednesday served a legal order on the Sherman- Oaks AIM clinic asking for a list of the legal names of 53 adult-movie stars known to have had direct or secondary sexual contact with two workers infected with the virus that causes AIDS.

The foundation tests 1,200 adult-film performers a month for sexually transmitted diseases.

"This is no different than had there been an accident on the job site," Kerndt said. "We want to make sure anyone who may have been exposed is made aware, offered testing and treatment if necessary."

The actors' stage names had been posted on the foundation's Web site and they were quarantined from working, but their legal names had been withheld.

AIM officials and actors said they were troubled by the records retrieval and distrustful of further Cal-OSHA or county health department involvement.

"If someone if going to step in and say, "Hi I'm with the government and I'm here to help," well, I don't want it," said Brooke Hunter, an actress and producer. "This may be a really good opportunity for talent to regulate ourselves."

Her husband, Ronald Miller, also known as Don Hollywood, said there's no way the government can regulate an industry that operates out of a car trunk and shoots 200 scenes a day.

Said Miller: "When you're building a high-rise building, you can't send Cal-OSHA to make sure every one is wearing a hard hat."

Daily News Staff Writer Troy Anderson contributed to this report.

Kerry Cavanaugh, (818) 713-3746

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com