Canadian Blood Services by the numbers

OTTAWA – Canadian Blood Services will soon enforce stricter guidelines on iron levels from donors.

Starting Dec. 10, female donors will need to wait 12 weeks between blood donations instead of the current eight-week period. And starting March 5, 2017, male donors must have a minimum hemoglobin level of 130 grams per litre, up from 125 grams per litre.

The national agency says it’s meant to promote health and wellness among donors. Here’s a look at Canadian Blood Services, by the numbers:

Proportion of male to female donors: 50/50

Amount of blood collected during a single donation: About 450 millilitres

Number of units collected annually: Nearly 820,000 units, or nearly 370,000 litres

Number of Canadians who actively donate: Less than 400,000

Proportion of Canadians eligible to donate: one in two

Proportion of eligible Canadians who actually donate: one in 60

— Source: Canadian Blood Services