First, blood donation, at least in the US is always voluntary, never paid for. The exception being plasma, which is actually another process. The amount a reciepient or his insurance pays for a transfusion only covers the cost of processing and handling. US blood banks are non profit. I can’t speak to the practices in other countries.
Your examples are exactly why blood donation is safe, since the use of Vit E as a CV protectant, and the release of Cox-2 inhibitors are recent. The number of effected individuals is minute compared to the millions who have donated blood since the first Blood Bank opened in the US in 1936.
With your 2 examples, the anecdotal evidence became overwhelming in a couple years. If anything, even a subtle problems were generated from blood donations, it would be glaringly obvious after nearly 60 years.
Also, there is data collected with blood donations. Most, of course, is focused on the blood, itself, but demographic information is gathered and can be cross referenced to the blood fairly easy.
Much of what we know about blood borne illnesses has been gathered in the process of banking blood.
I don’t wish to debate in GQ, but everyone in my family got paid $20.00 per "shot"for blood not Plasma donation. The location was Aventis at somewhere around the 5500 block of East Washington Street in Indianapolis Indiana (they paid more for plasma, but we didn’t wish to do that since it takes longer).
Also, here is an article http://www.bloodbook.com/part-1.html from the Philadelphia Inquireer that discusses how blood donation is anything, but a non profit business in reality. There was another from the New York Times, but I cannot find the link right now.
You say that problems (or benefits) from donation would be obvious, but is there even a centralized clearing center fo adverse reactions to blood donation (such as as exists for vaccines at the CDC). Also, if I develop cancer or heart disease ten years from now who would even consider that blood donations might play a role (not that I think they do)?
I have to once again, apologize. I’ve only worked in states where blood is volunteer donor only. I find these states are actually in the minority.
Also, The once non-profit status has indeed changed into big business.
Now, On the upside… I found a list of studies about, or using blood bank data.
Gee, as a regular Red Cross donor, reading this thread’s links has been a bit depressing.
Remember, many of the guidelines for blood donation have nothing to do with your own health, but have to do with the likelihood of donating “bad” blood.
How can a megastudy “show” that above 200 IUs per day of vitamin E supplementation “probably” has negative consequences for cardiovascular health. Either it shows it or it just indicates the probabability. Anyway, I thought that applied only to those with preexisting heart conditions. Do you have a cite?
Perhaps he was referring to this: