Attorney General Bonta Issues Consumer Alert Warning Californians of Potential Risks of Paying for Services from Private Cord Blood Banks

OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a consumer alert to Californians considering storing umbilical cord blood with private cord blood banks. Families across the country pay for cord blood storage with the promise that the cord blood may be useful in treating their families' potential future medical conditions. However, use of privately banked cord blood has become increasingly uncommon, as advances in medicine have provided cheaper and more medically appropriate alternatives to cord blood. In addition, cord blood cannot be used for treatment if insufficient quantities are collected or if the blood becomes tainted during storage. In either event, families may pay thousands of dollars for storage before learning that the cord blood is unusable. Furthermore, unlike public cord blood banks, which may use cord blood for public research or treatment, private banks are not required to meet high standards that help ensure cord blood quality and safety. In today's alert, Attorney General Bonta urges Californians to do their research about private umbilical cord blood banking.

"Private cord blood banks have promised families the hope of a healthier future by turning umbilical cord blood, which contains stem cells, into powerful new treatments for future diseases. However, this hope is often misplaced, as privately banked cord blood stem cells may become tainted during storage, rendering them useless. As medical advances continue to improve, too many families and doctors continue to be misled about the potential of privately stored cord blood," said Attorney General Bonta. "With today's alert, we encourage Californians to make informed decisions about private cord blood banking by doing your research, consulting with your healthcare providers, and exploring available options."

Umbilical cord blood banking is the process of collecting and storing the blood from a newborn's umbilical cord after birth. Stem cells in cord blood may be used in medical research or treatments for various diseases including leukemia and other blood disorders. However, due to the advancement in medicine and further research, doctors have relied on cord blood treatments far less frequently in favor of other stem cells, including from adults and relatives. According to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, just 19 stem cell transplants using a child's own cord blood have been reported since 2010.

In today's alert, Attorney General Bonta urges Californians seeking to store cord blood with a private bank to do their research about their options. Importantly, Californians should know that:

• Your child may not be able to receive treatment using cord blood that you store with a private bank. Individuals with genetic diseases often require transplants using donor stem cells.
• Medical treatments using privately banked cord blood are exceedingly rare. Recent advances in medicine are making them even rarer.
• Private cord blood units can become contaminated during collection or while in storage. Unlike public cord blood banks, private banks are not required to meet high standards that help ensure cord blood quality and safety. Doctors will likely refuse to use contaminated cord blood for transplantation or medical research.
• Cord blood units collected and stored for private use do not always contain the number of stem cells necessary for transplantation or medical research, meaning they cannot be used.
• Scientists do not know how long cord blood units can be preserved. Some private banks promise that cord blood will last a lifetime. But no evidence supports that claim.

There are a number of resources that provide further information on cord blood banking: