Is Blood Safe?

YES it is safe to donate blood!

There is NO risk of contracting any disease through donating blood. Each donor receives his own sterile blood bag and needle, which is used once, and then safely destroyed.

At the Blood Center, each donated unit of blood undergoes 11 tests, including blood typing, tests for Hepatitis, Syphilis, HTLV (a form of leukemia), the AIDS virus, and Cholesterol screening.

The blood supply in the United States is much safer today than ever before.  The risk of being exposed to HIV by receiving a blood transfusion is extremely rare and the risk of hepatitis transmission is greatly reduced  thanks to multiple levels of safeguards, including:

• comprehensive evaluation of donors' medical and social history to exclude donors who may be carriers of infectious agents;
• physical examination of the donor;
• strict donation procedures using sterile supplies;
• laboratory testing.

These procedures are followed by all blood centers nationwide and are monitored under the regulatory guidance of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Blood donors are not paid; only volunteers are permitted to give blood.  Every donor completes a health history questionnaire and screening interview to identify behaviors that indicate a high risk for carry blood borne diseases.  Strict confidentiality encourage honest answers and deferral of any potential donor with possible health risks.

Laboratory tests are performed on every unit of blood collected.  Every time someone donates blood, his or her unit of blood is tested for evidence of infectious disease, including HIV, hepatitis B and C, and syphilis. Any unit of blood that shows evidence of carrying a disease is safely destroyed and the donor is deferred from subsequent donation.

See our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

The Blood Center of New Jersey
45 South Grove Street
East Orange, New Jersey  07018
1-800-NJBLOOD
1-973-676-4700

Copyright © 2001 by The Blood Center of New Jersey. All rights reserved.