Bereaved father blames plasma company for teenage son's sudden death

Local authorities in north China's Shanxi Province have launched an investigation into the sudden death of a 19-year-old boy shortly after donating blood 16 times within eight months.

The plasma company involved, Xinzhou Tiantan Biological Apheresis Plasma Co Ltd, has been closed for rectification, the district government in Shanxi's Xinzhou City said in a statement on Tuesday. The company is a subsidiary of the China National Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd.

Zhao Wei died at home in Xinzhou on January 15. His father, Zhao Zhijie, said he found a thick stack of receipts under his son's mattress, indicating that Zhao had donated plasma 16 times within eight consecutive months up to last December, Jinan Daily reported.

A medical exam report found in his belongings, issued by a local hospital 10 days before Zhao's death, diagnosed him with severe anemia and suspected hematopoietic dysfunction.

Zhao Zhijie said that WeChat chats on his son's phone revealed that he had approached the plasma company through a man surnamed Lu in May 2023. Each time he donated plasma, the boy reportedly received 260-300 yuan (US$36-42) as compensation, and the station even provided a "door-to-door" service.

The father believed that the plasma station deceived young people into frequently selling blood, leading to blood regenerative dysfunction and eventually his death.