The process can be very uncomfortable.Ī number of people are outright afraid of a laboratory or hospital setting, more so when they encounter needles. Some donors go as far as wearing layers of clothes or ankle weights to cheat on their body mass in order to have the chance to donate plasma and obtain money.Ģ. A report said that many of the plasma donors in the US are homeless and aged, who are not actually at their prime to donate. This is especially true to donors who mysteriously pass the screening by covering up or lying about their true health status. Upon donation, the person experiences reduction in plasma levels and increase in infection risk. For some donors, they experience side effects that are more serious and would need hospitalization to guarantee recovery. People who cannot recover properly often feel nauseous and sleepy, and may collapse for several hours. Possible side effects of donating plasma include dehydration, vein damage, fainting, and fatigue. Its immediate effects on the body are serious. Finally, to guarantee the safety and overall health of donors and their recipients, competent lab personnel handle the screening and extraction processes.ġ. Laboratories equipment and tools used in the plasma center are checked for sanitation, safety and functionality. They must be physically healthy and not engaged with harmful lifestyle such as smoking, having tattoos, drug abuse, etc. In a typical plasma center, donors go through strict screening to make sure they are in top shape to donate. Plasma and other biological components are priceless possessions to give to other people. In the absence of any monetary possession, many people find it more satisfactory and more meaningful to lend a part of themselves to others as in the case of organ and blood donors. People often feel good and happy about helping others. By donating plasma or even whole blood, one’s circulatory system is renewed, enabling the body to produce new supply of blood. Rigid screening allows the donor to know his or her current health status, as well as be alerted of any early signs of disease. The harvested plasma is then pooled, stored and prepared for medical consumption.Īccording to scientific study, regular donation of plasma and even whole blood has health benefits to the donor. To harvest plasma, blood is extracted from the donor’s body and processed to separate the plasma, then the blood is transfused back into the donor’s body. Plasma or more specifically blood plasma is a yellowish liquid, the protein reserve of the human body, which aids in keeping the body’s electrolyte balance and helps fight infection. It added that fees vary each month, by location, and with respect to special promotions.īlood plasma is often administered to patients with leukemia or burns, and those who have undergone surgery and other injuries. This is because the amount of plasma a person can donate depends on his or her body weight, and the heavier the donor the more plasma is collected, and the longer the extraction time, hence the time factor. For many donors, the payment goes a long way in paying for food, rent, medicine and other basic needs.Ī company disclosed in its website that payment depends on the time it takes to donate, among other factors. Plasma donation pays about $50 per extraction some pay more, some less. It likewise helps alert the public about the reality of plasma industry and its significance to our overall health. With that, let us look at the different pros and cons of donating plasma, as this gives us a closer view of the industry’s commendable practices and shortcomings. This is especially true since donors are generally from impoverished communities compelled to lie about their health in order to get paid. While it is true that plasma (even whole blood) is such valuable life-saving products, the industry practices used in the production of the majority of blood-related pharmaceuticals could barely guarantee absolute safety of consumers. For one, it aided the spread of deadly diseases like AIDS and Hepatitis C among the hemophiliac community. However, the multibillion-dollar plasma market’s dependency on collecting of plasma from donors with cash problems despite the lack of standardized facilities and competent personnel only created bigger issues.

It is indeed a huge industry, valuing at least $11 billion in 2014, up from $4 billion in 2008. And nowhere in the world is plasma heavily extracted and traded than in the United States, where paid American donors provide up to 70 percent of global supply. That sums up the marketing position of corporate giants behind the plasma industry.

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