Do You Know Where Your Blood Donation Really Goes?

Many people donate blood because they believe they are saving someone else's life. But what they don't know might surprise them.

The fact is that blood donations do save lives. Without an adequate supply of blood, those who need it for live-saving procedures would be in serious danger. Unfortunately, some of the secrets about the blood industry leaves some wondering if donating is actually a good idea at all.

Blood is multi-billion dollar business. Regardless of the charitable intentions of those who donate, no one is giving away blood to those who need it for free.  In fact, despite being a donor, if you ever need blood you could wind up pay upwards of $600 a pint.

According to an investigative report by WPTV, blood donations stop being donations after the needle comes out of your arm. A blood brokerage firm CEO tells WPTV that your donated blood actually winds up getting sold, and sometimes for a very large profit.

Many in the blood industry characterize the money they receive for your donation as "reimbursement fees" for testing and administration. But the fact is that your blood donations are a very profitable commodity that, depending on demand and the location where you live, can bring in some serious cash to the blood organizations that have collected it.

Another thing most people don't realize is that local blood drives don't always keep their donations local. While many organizations try to use donations locally, if need or demand arises elsewhere, your blood can be shipped and sold out of state.

Finally, it may surprise many that lots of blood that is collected gets thrown away. a 2011 government sponsored survey found that around one in 20 units of donated blood was just thrown away. This could be because blood has a very short shelf life of just over 40 days, or the fact that blood "shortages" are not as common as they once were.

The Huffington Post reported in 2013 that because of advances in medicine, not as much blood is actually needed for operations as it once was. While there might not be a huge blood surplus, the supply is certainly stronger than it was just a few years ago. In response, blood drives are now being more targeted to specific blood types and needs.

Some fear that letting people in on the big business of blood donations will discourage some from donating. Others argue that the secrets surrounding blood donations do more harm than good.  Ben Bowman, the CEO of a for-profit blood brokerage firm told WPTV that he thinks people can handle the truth, especially in a world where billions of dollars are already being made on every other aspect of healthcare:

I think most Americans would accept the fact that there's a value chain and that people deserve to get paid.  That needs to be more transparent.

We want to know what you think. Were you aware of what happened to your blood after it's donated? And now that you do, would that make you any less likely to donate?