Blood: Donors
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the permanent exclusion of people who have used tanning injections is consistent with the current evidence base on the persistence of bloodborne infection risks.
Answered by Dr Zubir Ahmed
The safety of blood is of the utmost importance. Donor exclusion policies are in place to maintain safety and are mandated in the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005: The Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005, which are available at the following link:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/50/schedule/part/3/paragraph/2n3
Similarly to individuals with a history of Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV, those with a history of non-prescribed intravenous or intramuscular drug use are permanently deferred from donating blood.
The Joint United Kingdom (UK) Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation Services’ Professional Advisory Committee produces guidance documents for UK blood services which outline the risks posed by tanning injections in the Addiction and Drug Abuse guideline and the Blood Safety Entry guideline, which are available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://transfusionguidelines.org/dsg/wb/guidelines/ad001-addiction-and-drug-abuse
https://www.transfusionguidelines.org/dsg/wb/guidelines/bl008-blood-safety-entry
Their Whole Blood and Component Donor Selection Guidelines, which includes the guidance relating to injectable tanning agents, were last updated on 18 July 2025.
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