« Russiagate’ — The Most Trustworthy Current InformationDiscounting North Korea’s ICBM Capability »

Blood Profiteering

August 17th, 2017

Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman)

Blood is a river of life, providing nutrients to every cell in our bodies while carrying away waste products.

Its composed of cells and plasma, the latter its liquid component, comprising most bodily blood volume. It contains other substances vital to life.

Other than physicians, especially hematologists and surgeons, few people think about blood unless they bleed, have blood tests, need transfusions or discover they have a blood disorder.

Otherwise, the river of life is ignored. Not to pharmaceutical companies and other blood profiteers. For them, blood is a commodity to be sold for profit.

It’s big business, netting billion dollars in profits annually. In America, facilities mostly in poor communities pay donors for their blood, a practice European countries forbid.

For impoverished Americans, it’s a source of income, along with a health risk for repeated donations, even when not in the best of health.

An earlier Forbes magazine article headlined “The Guys Who Trade Your Blood For Profit,” saying “the American Red Cross controls 44% of the blood supply and has the ability to distribute nationally, depending on the needs of particular areas.”

Private companies profit from blood sales. Tainted blood is an important issue, posing safety threats to patients, potentially risking disease from transfusions.

Viruses, parasites, bacteria and other pathogens show up in donated blood, including in red blood cells, platelets and plasma.

Blood centers involved in collecting and testing blood say they can’t afford expensive new technologies not mandated for their work.

The American Red Cross has been fined millions of dollars for violating blood safety laws, “including mismanaging certain blood products and violating best manufacturing practices,” said Forbes.

The organization was founded as a voluntary relief agency, providing aid to victims of war and national calamities. Its main business now isn’t disaster relief. It’s selling blood for profit.

Blood donations remain a vital resource for many surgery and cancer patients, trauma victims, and others needing transfusions.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office of Blood, Organ, and Other Tissue Safety director Dr. Matthew Kuehnert earlier stated the obvious, saying “(b)lood saves lives.”

“But transfusions have risks, and they can transmit infectious disease and cause reactions. And that requires careful screening and monitoring.”

Given the number of possible risk factors, it’s cost ineffective to test for everything.

Patients with planned surgeries are safest by donating their own blood in advance, if their doctors advise it may be needed.

-###-

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman)

My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

No feedback yet

Voices  Share this page

Voices

  • Katherine Watt [07/23/23] Orientation for new readers As I read and write more about pre- and post-1959 Catholic teaching as they relate to current geopolitical events, I want to emphasize that I’m on a learning curve, and my views are developing as my…
  • Katherine Watt [07/29/23] Orientation for new readers Excellent new post by Sasha Latypova on Dec. 10, 1974 National Security Study Memorandum 200 ■ July 26, 2023 - Population Control Policy. Why would my government want to kill me? Don't they…
  • PressTV The Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza is funded by the United States according to Joe Iosbaker, an American political analyst and a leader of the Anti-War Committee – Chicago. 💬 “The US government leads the world in many…
  • Dr. Halvor Næss [06/17/23] It is now more than three years since the covid-19 pandemic started, and two almost self-evident statements summarize the most important lessons learned. 1. Without the draconian handling of the authorities, the pandemic would…
  • Dr Vernon Coleman If you want to know the truth about vaccines and vaccinations please read my book Anyone who tells you vaccines are safe and effective is lying: Here’s the truth. You can find it for sale on Amazon. 1. The UK is now sending long range…
  • Cesare Sacchetti When Donald Trump in 2016 walked down the mobile stairs of his New York residence, the Trump Tower, many prominent members of the deep state were anguished by a feeling of both panic and fear. Panic because for the first time after the…
  • Jeff Thomas The decline from democracy to tyranny is both a natural and inevitable one. That’s not a pleasant thought to have to consider, but it’s a fact, nonetheless. In every case, a democracy will deteriorate as the result of the electorate…
  • Walter Gelles Legal trickery would silence Dr. Charles Hoffe Prominent Canadian physician Dr. Charles Hoffe has spoken out courageously to warn people of the very serious dangers of the Covid mRNA genetic "vaccines". He now faces trial from the Canadian…
  • Stephen Lendman [04/05/23][Stephen died on May 9th, 2023, about a month after he wrote this article.] Illegitimately installed Biden regime criminals run the empire of lies and forever wars. A previous article discussed Trump’s politicized indictment,…
  • Linh Dinh [Pakse, Laos on 6/5/23] Sherwood Anderson, “For a time he was lonely and wrote to Alice almost every day. Then he was caught up by the life of the city; he began to make friends and found new interests in life.” Why quote a rather plain…
March 2024
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
 << <   > >>
          1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31            

  XML Feeds

powered by b2evolution free blog software
FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted articles and information about environmental, political, human rights, economic, democratic, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. This news and information is displayed without profit for educational purposes, in accordance with, Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Thepeoplesvoice.org is a non-advocacy internet web site, edited by non-affiliated U.S. citizens. editor
ozlu Sozler GereksizGercek Hava Durumu Firma Rehberi Hava Durumu Firma Rehberi E-okul Veli Firma Rehberi