Thanks. Made me look further - but it is not surprising.

They may be keeping the spot samples, but to derive intact DNA from a stored spot sample in storage is not so easy - especially the older the sample is. There is a process and it can be tedious. The condition of the sample is critical. The problem come into play with long term storage - the weak link in the chain. Biological samples degrade if not kept in the proper conditions. Research labs at universities do a much better job at storage. But I will say, I don't have a lot of confidence in the third party storage hand off for stuff like this. Still, the fact that they are being stored is not a good thing and it needs to be addressed. People would be shocked to find out the number of stored tissue and blood samples that have been collected over the years that they are unaware of.

This speaks volumes about what people are agreeing to when they sign those hospital admission forms. The forms give the hospital consent to use almost anything that comes from a body for research purposes. It is a very generalized consent. People need to read those forms carefully. At least when they used to have paper consent forms people may have read them - even if they didn't fully understand them. Now with digital signature admission processes, basically the person behind the desk tells the patient nothing except sign. Nobody bothers to know what they are signing, nor do they ask for a hard copy. It always amazes me how easily people are willing to literally sign their life away.