The myths and misconceptions surrounding blood donation and why you might consider donating.Links to resources from Bloodworks Northwest:Blood Donation Need to KnowEligibility GuidelinesEligibility Checker Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
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Debunking Blood Donation Myths
00:08:01
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| Today we're tackling a topic that literally saves lives, blood donation. | |
| Did you know that in the United States alone, our hospitals require about 15 to 20,000 quarts of blood each day? | |
| That is an astounding amount of blood, and it's not easy to keep that inventory up. | |
| So as we celebrate National Blood Donor Month, and as we say thank you to those of you saving lives, we're going to dispel some of the myths about blood donation. | |
| And in our extended content for premium members, we'll be talking about how bloodletting is somehow still a thing. | |
| Yikes. | |
| All of that is coming up right now on Skeptoid. | |
| Hi, I'm Alex Goldman. | |
| You may know me as the host of Reply All, but I'm done with that. | |
| I'm doing something else now. | |
| I've started a new podcast called Hyperfixed. | |
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| I'm Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com. | |
| Blood donation myths. | |
| Welcome to the show that separates fact from fiction, science from pseudoscience, real history from fake history, and helps us all make better life decisions by knowing what's real and what's not. | |
| Every few seconds, someone somewhere needs blood, whether it's for surgery, an accident, cancer treatment, or childbirth. | |
| Misinformation and misconceptions unfortunately contribute to our persistently fragile blood supply in the United States. | |
| Many believe they can't donate because of their health, lifestyle, or medications, while others fear needles or think their single pint won't make a difference. | |
| The truth is far more encouraging, and today we're setting the record straight. | |
| We're debunking the most common blood donation myths. | |
| And hopefully by the end of this episode, you might be a little bit more inclined to give blood. | |
| Just a quick disclaimer at the top here. | |
| Today we're talking about the traditional whole blood donation process where folks give a pint of whole blood and then are on their way. | |
| We won't be talking much about epheresis, the process where a specialized machine will separate blood components during donation and then return the rest back to the donor, like when people donate just their plasma. | |
| These are more time-consuming appointments and often some form of compensation is provided. | |
| That's not what we're talking about today. | |
| Okay, let's jump in and we'll start with a biggie that is pretty common. | |
| And that is myth number one, most of the blood supply goes to car accidents and gunshot wound victims. | |
| Nope, not true, not even close. | |
| And that's an interesting one, isn't it? | |
| A common perception in the United States is that emergency and trauma situations use most of the blood supply. | |
| But this is actually a myth. | |
| While these instances are highly visible and dramatic, they only use about 2% of the nation's blood supply. | |
| So where does most of the blood go? | |
| According to the American Red Cross and the Alliance of Community Transfusion Services, blood bank distribution data shows that about 25% of donated blood goes directly to a cancer patient. | |
| So let that sink in for just a second. | |
| 25% of blood that's donated is going straight to someone who's fighting cancer. | |
| And if your cause is to hashtag stand up to cancer, then donating blood is another great way to support that effort. | |
| Pretty radical, if you ask me. | |
| And the rest of the percentages of how our blood supply is used breaks down like this. | |
| 19% is used for anemia treatment. | |
| 18% is used for surgery patients. | |
| 13% goes to treatments for heart, liver, and kidney disorders. | |
| 10% for orthopedic patients, like me. | |
| 9% for blood disease treatments. | |
| 4% for childbirths. | |
| And yes, only about 2% of the national blood supply is used for trauma and accidents. | |
| And maybe it's the Hollywood movies or the oversaturation of accidents and disasters on social media and TV, but it's easy, at least for the American brain, to jump to thinking about blood when a disaster occurs. | |
| Bringing us to our next myth. | |
| Myth number two, the most critical time to donate is after a disaster. | |
| Blood banks get a disproportionate amount of blood donations after a disaster, and this does appear to have a cathartic effect for the community. | |
| But as we saw after the Oklahoma City bombing and 9-11 and countless other disasters, this massive response can overwhelm the system and lead to a lot of blood being wasted. | |
| As science journalist Douglas Starr aptly stated in his book, Blood, An Epic History of Medicine and Commerce, Our society faces an enduring paradox, chronic blood shortages in routine times, and a glut whenever a tragedy occurs. | |
| Addressing this situation has become a central priority since September 11th and will remain so for years. | |
| Clearly, people are willing to give. | |
| That much is obvious after every disaster. | |
| The challenge is how to convert that generous impulse into long-term behavior. | |
| After centuries of research into blood and all its mysteries, we now face the challenge of how to get enough. | |
| The most critical time to donate are the winter months when donations are down. | |
| So like January and February are great times to donate. | |
| Also critical are the summer vacation months between Memorial Day and Labor Day when folks aren't donating as much and car accidents go up due to increased travel. | |
| Now, some of you out there might be wondering, why don't we just freeze the surplus blood when there's an overwhelming response to a disaster? | |
| And that conveniently brings us to our next myth. | |
| Myth number three, we can just freeze the surplus blood so there's never a shortage. | |
| This myth stems from an incomplete understanding of blood donation. | |
| While it's true that some blood components can be frozen or freeze-dried, this is not as easy for whole blood and its oxygen-carrying red blood cells. | |
| When we look at red blood cells, one of the reasons for our blood supply being persistently fragile comes into focus. | |
| Red blood cells, depending on which anticoagulant is used, have a maximum shelf life of 42 days. | |
| There are methods with varying degrees of success for freezing and thawing whole blood. | |
| The primary challenge is ice recrystallization damage during thawing. | |
| When frozen blood thaws, ice crystals grow larger, imposing on smaller ones and tearing cell membranes apart, turning the blood into unusable pink mush. | |
| Ice crystals also push and deform red blood cells during the freezing process, causing cellular injury. | |
| This damage occurs even with cryoprotective agents like glycerol, which must be added before freezing and then carefully and laboriously washed out after thawing. | |
| So if it's impractical to freeze blood, you may be wondering what the current status is of artificial blood. | |
|
The Artificial Blood Myth
00:02:48
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| This has received a lot of chatter in 2025. | |
| So it's fair to wonder if artificial blood is helping our current blood supply or will be soon. | |
| And you guessed it. | |
| That brings us to our next myth. | |
| Myth number four, artificial blood will be here soon enough. | |
| Well, not so fast. | |
| It's true that we are making promising progress toward replicating the oxygen-carrying function of blood. | |
| And that will be a significant advancement if we get there, especially for emergency medicine at home and on the battlefield. | |
| But a couple of important caveats. | |
| This approach, known as encapsulated hemoglobin, will not replace the need for whole blood donations. | |
| And in the United States, we're about a decade away from FDA approval if all trials go smoothly and funding holds. | |
| So let's remain optimistic while remembering this is currently not a reality and does nothing to help our blood supply as of this writing in 2026. | |
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|
Why People Don't Donate
00:10:26
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| Myth number five, the main reason folks don't donate is because they're lazy. | |
| One might assume that people don't donate blood because they're lazy or don't care. | |
| And whether that's true or not, the most reported cause of hesitation to donate blood is trypanophobia, the fear of needles. | |
| And yes, this is an actual specific phobic disorder found in the DSM-5. | |
| And estimates of the U.S. population struggling with this range from 3.5% up to 10%. | |
| An estimated 20 to 25% of Americans have a general dislike of needles, but it's not debilitating. | |
| The good news is that no matter your level of fear when it comes to needles, there are many resources that can help you cope with this aversion. | |
| And most blood centers are pros at providing a super calm environment, replete with hydrating drinks and yummy snacks. | |
| Also, here's a personal anecdote to disprove this. | |
| I'm lazy and I donate blood pretty regularly. | |
| Okay, now we're going to turn to the misconceptions surrounding the blood donation process that keeps some people from donating. | |
| Starting with... | |
| Myth number six, blood donation is painful. | |
| Even if you've never donated blood, you've likely had blood work done at some point. | |
| While blood donations do draw considerably more blood, the experience is similar. | |
| There's a small pinched sensation at the beginning, and the rest of the process is generally reported as free of pain. | |
| A recent study of 351 participants found the vast majority reported only mild pain and moderate anxiety. | |
| An interesting correlation is they found the perception of pain slightly increases with longer wait times. | |
| So, pro tip, if you do have apprehension surrounding donating blood, find the times that your local donation center is the least busy and make an appointment during one of those times. | |
| Myth number seven, it takes hours to donate blood. | |
| While the recommendation is to allow an hour from checking in to the yummy snacks afterward, the actual process itself takes less than 10 minutes on average. | |
| Now, I should point out that we're talking about whole blood donations and not apheresis donations like plasma donations, which is a longer process and usually includes compensation. | |
| But for the more common whole blood donation process, you can be assured that you'll be at the donation center no longer than a typical routine doctor's appointment. | |
| Myth number eight, I can't donate due to my lifestyle. | |
| If you think you're ineligible to donate blood because you drink on a regular basis, or you dabble in the weed, or because you have tattoos, you might be delighted to know that this likely won't be an issue. | |
| Obviously, don't show up drunk or stoned, which is sound advice for life in general. | |
| And be aware, sometimes there's a waiting period if you recently got a new tattoo. | |
| There are some riskier lifestyle choices that disqualify folks, such as drug abuse involving needles, risky sexual behavior, tattoos from an unlicensed artist, and the like. | |
| Of course, all of these will be clearly outlined on your local donation center's website, so be sure to look there first. | |
| Myth number nine, you will get turned away due to a health condition or medication you're on. | |
| This one may be partly true, but the main reason someone might get turned away usually has to do with not being hydrated enough, having low iron levels, or having very high blood pressure. | |
| Most health conditions and medications do not, in fact, disqualify you from giving blood. | |
| And it's interesting to note that the number one reason someone gets turned away is dehydration, which is avoidable. | |
| So be sure to fully hydrate the day before and the day of your donation appointment. | |
| We've put some useful links from our friends at BloodWorks Northwest in the show notes and in the transcript at skeptoid.com. | |
| A need-to-know guide about donating, as well as links to eligibility guidelines and an eligibility checker. | |
| Be sure to check your local donation center's website to see their requirements, as every municipality has different eligibility criteria. | |
| Myth number 10, blood donation and donated blood are unsafe. | |
| Donating blood is absolutely safe, as is receiving donated blood. | |
| These are things we need not worry about. | |
| But like most myths, this one's likely a holdover from a time when concerns were warranted about receiving blood. | |
| That time was the early to mid-1980s, and it was a real concern. | |
| A commonly cited estimate is that about 12,000 people in the United States acquired HIV from a blood transfusion during this period. | |
| And though this was a horrific time, the good that came out of it is the highly rigorous testing and screening that was implemented after this disaster. | |
| To put it in perspective, though, it is possible. | |
| In a country like the United States, you're far more likely to get struck by lightning at some point than contract an infectious disease from a blood transfusion. | |
| It does happen, but the incidence is well below the statistical background noise level. | |
| Myth number 11, everyone knows they should donate. | |
| A big reason people don't donate is simply because they've never been asked and therefore have no idea that our blood supply is tenuous. | |
| So it's important for us to be talking about it and helping to build awareness. | |
| Ask your family and friends if they've ever donated blood or would consider donating. | |
| Who knows, you may convert someone who never thought about donating into a regular donor. | |
| And that would be pretty darn cool. | |
| Myth number 12, giving blood makes you feel horrible. | |
| Nah, it's the opposite. | |
| They call it the Helper's High or Warm Glow Giving. | |
| When you walk out of a blood donation center, you feel like you're walking on sunshine because you know you just did something selfless. | |
| You may not expect that going in, but many people report this kind of feeling after donating. | |
| So if you've never donated before, you may find that you actually really like the experience. | |
| And to put it all in perspective, here's John Yeager from the Bloodworks 101 podcast to lead us out. | |
| And I tell people this all the time. | |
| It doesn't hurt. | |
| I said it this morning to a couple of reporters. | |
| It doesn't hurt. | |
| And the reward that you get by knowing that you actually helped save a life measured against this temporary uncomfortable feeling, it's a no-brainer. | |
| We continue with how in the world bloodletting is still a thing in the ad-free and extended premium feed. | |
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| A very special thanks to our collaborators on this episode, John Yeager and Bloodworks Northwest. | |
| Be sure to check out their Anthem Award-winning podcast, Bloodworks 101, wherever you listen to podcasts. | |
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