Facts About Giving Blood

Human blood cannot be manufactured and has no viable substitute; many people who need blood must rely on that which has been donated by other people. According to America's Blood Centers, blood shortages could be eliminated for the foreseeable future if only an additional one percent of Americans donated blood.

Donor Requirements

• Specific requirements may vary at different donation sites; however, generally a blood donor must weigh more than 110 pounds and be 17 or older. These requirements mean that less than 38 percent of Americans are eligible to donate blood.

Need

• According to the American Red Cross, 38,000 blood donations are needed every day. In the United States alone, blood is needed every two seconds; more blood is needed in the summer and around holidays.

One Donation, Three Lives

• Blood donations are divided into red blood cells, platelets and plasma. The Mayo Clinic states that, because of this, each blood donation has the potential to save three lives.

Time Frame

• According to the American Red Cross, a single individual may not donate red blood cells more than once every 56 days. The red blood cells donated must be used within 42 days of collection.

Supply Facts

• Close to 3,000 hospitals in the United States receive blood from the American Red Cross, which supplies 45 percent of the U.S. blood supply.

9/11 Fact

• In the wake of 9/11, 500,000 people donated blood.