Blood Donor Pool is Shrinking
There are significantly fewer blood donors available in the United States than previously estimated, according to a University of Minnesota study conducted by Dr. Jeffrey McCullough (Medical School) and William Riley (School of Public Health), pictured.
The study was reported on today by the Missouri-based St. Joseph News-Press, stating that the study "brought home the importance of blood donors to a community."
In the study, McCullough and Riley concluded that just 38 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to give blood — down dramatically from previous estimates. About 111 million adults can give blood, compared to a previous estimates of 177 million.
The researchers noted 31 factors either can make a person’s blood unsafe. These include recent tattoos, HIV infection and heart disease.
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