The Nation - News from Sept. 15, 1988

The American Red Cross and the Food and Drug Administration signed an agreement to tighten procedures after a six-month investigation found 2,420 blood products were mistakenly released. The Red Cross said that more than 500 of these were provided for possible transfusions before all records had been checked to make sure they were safe or tests had been completed. None were believed to test positive for AIDS or hepatitis B, two blood-transmitted diseases, the FDA said. The agreement included suspending or replacing some unidentified Red Cross executives and closing testing facilities in Washington and St. Louis.