Canadian Blood Services (CBS) has reported the death of a long-time plasma donor who passed away a day after making a donation, but the organization maintains that the death was unrelated to the donation process. Under federal regulations, blood collection agencies must notify Health Canada if a donor dies within 72 hours of giving blood or plasma, with initial reports required within 24 hours of becoming aware of the death.

The incident, which occurred earlier in the fall, marks the first such report from CBS since at least 2018, the earliest year for which records are available. CBS has chosen to withhold most details about the donor, the location, and the exact date of the event to protect the donor’s privacy.

CBC’s CEO Graham Sher confirmed the donor was a longtime volunteer and plasma donor who appeared healthy after the donation. CBS only learned of the death three weeks later when the donor’s family informed CBS staff. CBS promptly reported the death to Health Canada and conducted a review of donation records, finding no irregularities or equipment problems during the donation process.

According to Sher, doctors attributed the death to natural causes. He emphasized that plasma donors, like any individuals, may experience unrelated health events or accidents, and the timing of the death was coincidental. “Donors are normal people with normal lives... an event of a natural cause death just happened to be temporally related to a previous donation,” Sher stated.

Health Canada confirmed receiving the report from CBS on September 25, suggesting the donor’s death occurred earlier that month. The agency declined to release additional information citing privacy concerns and has not indicated any further regulatory action. Health Canada noted that CBS holds responsibility for thorough investigations of such incidents and stated that it reviewed CBS’s documentation, which reportedly confirmed that CBS followed appropriate procedures.

This report surfaces amid increased scrutiny of plasma collection safety following the deaths of two donors at facilities operated by Grifols, a Spanish pharmaceutical company partnered with CBS to collect plasma in Canada. Health Canada previously identified operational deficiencies at multiple Grifols locations, leading to a license suspension for one site last September. Grifols temporarily halted Canadian operations but announced plans for a gradual reopening. Earlier disclosures also included two donor deaths linked to Grifols collection centers in Winnipeg in 2025 and 2026 and another in 2018.

According to CBS annual data, the organization reported 28 adverse reactions related to blood or plasma donations in the 2025-26 year, a decline from prior years. The recent death is not classified as an adverse reaction by CBS, as it concluded no connection to the donation. Similarly, none of CBS’s adverse reactions since 2018 have been classified as serious.

Globally, deaths directly linked to plasma donation remain exceedingly rare. In the United States, where millions of plasma donations occur annually, only a small number of deaths potentially related to donation are reported each year, according to Food and Drug Administration data.