Blood shortage grows serious

September 3, 2007

Many factors threaten to turn Southern California’s typical seasonal lack of reserves into a permanent problem. In the blood business, Labor Day is the last hurdle of the donor-dry summer. Soon, college and corporate blood drives will get underway to replenish reserves. All that’s needed is to get through the holiday weekend with no chain-reaction freeway crashes or major train wrecks.

But a dwindling pool of donors nationwide could turn today’s seasonal shortages into a year-round drought, blood experts say. And Southern California would be hit especially hard. On average, just 5% of U.S. adults donate blood; here, it’s fewer than 3%. (Los Angeles Times)