Red Gold: New Blood

Format: DVD Runtime: 58 Minutes Series: Red Gold

With transfusion-related cases of AIDS and hepatitis and the growing threat of mad cow disease, the blood supply faces new threats. This program chronicles the last fifteen years in the history of blood science, assessing current safety levels and examining future options, such as synthetic plasma. As the program makes clear, compared to Europe or Asia, American blood is very safe but expensive and in short supply. Among those interviewed are Dr. Karl Krieger, a heart surgeon at New York's Presbyterian Hospital who is well-known for his efforts in reducing the need for blood during open-heart surgery, and broadcaster Cory Dubin, founding member of the Committee of 10,000, a coalition of hemophiliacs infected with HIV from their medications.