The government reported today that it had found more than 200 safety violations by the blood-collecting unit of the Red Cross, which provides 45 percent of the nation's blood supply.

U.S. Says Red Cross Broke Blood Safety Rules
"The blood supply is not as safe as it should be," said Dr. Mark B. McClellan, the commissioner of the F.D.A., which issued a preliminary report on safety violations at the Red Cross biomedical headquarters. "I am troubled by apparent lapses in blood safety."

A year ago, the agency asked a federal court to hold the Red Cross in contempt for years of safety violations. The preliminary report today indicates the problems have not been eliminated, Mr. McClellan said, suggesting that the situation pointed to "a culture willing to accept noncompliance."

Specifically, the F.D.A. said that some Red Cross employees had been instructed to skip required safety steps and that others had altered records to allow distribution of blood that failed safety testing.

In addition, the Red Cross failed to screen out some people who were not supposed to give blood, the agency said. Donors in one Red Cross region who are found unsuitable are supposed to be listed in a donor-deferral registry. They were not, and some went on to donate in other regions. In some cases, the agency does not know what happened to their donated blood.

More than 1,000 units of blood were unaccounted for, it said.

The agency emphasized that anyone who needed a blood transfusion should get one, because the risk of forgoing a medical procedure is much higher than the risk of receiving bad blood. The agency also noted that people who donate blood face no risk.…
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/21/national/21CROS.html