For nearly two decades, the Denmark-based European Sperm Bank (ESB) used sperm from a donor who was later diagnosed with the deadly TP53 mutation, which is known to present an extremely high risk of cancer. At least 197 children were conceived from the single donor.
The case came to light following an international journalistic investigation reported by the German press. As the report indicates, these nearly 200 children were conceived using the sperm from the ill-fated donor in 14 countries around the world. These children may be at extremely high risk of cancer.
As the investigation describes, the first signs of the problem appeared already in 2020, when a suspicious mutation was detected in one of the children. Subsequent tests were inconclusive because the mutation was “present only in some sperm cells.”
However, instead of halting the use of his sperm, donations from this donor continued, with more families using his sperm to conceive. It was not until 2023, when cancer cases began to appear in different countries, that a common source was identified.
“Then the donation was blocked,” the report states.
Although the sperm bank is required to notify clinics of detected genetic defects, “in this case the system completely failed.”
Families in many countries, including France, Germany, and Belgium, have not received any official communications. “Many parents learned about the mutation from the media or from other families, while institutions remained silent. Some children have already fallen ill, and deaths have also been reported.”
The donor profile, cataloged as 7069, was entered into the ESB catalog in 2007. He was described as a tall economics student with light brown hair. His sperm was sold not only throughout Europe but also in places as far away as Afghanistan and Bolivia.
At the same time, the European Sperm Bank was recording record financial results. “In 2023, the company achieved over €8 million in profit.”
The case also revealed that limits on the number of families per donor were effectively ignored. “In Belgium alone, 53 children were born from donor sperm 7069, even though local regulations allow a maximum of six families.”
The European Sperm Bank attempted to explain the situation by citing “reporting errors, computer system problems and the phenomenon of reproductive tourism.”
The result, however, was a situation in which one man’s genetic material found its way to dozens of families in different countries, without real control and without ensuring basic health security.
“This case reveals the scale of chaos in European sperm donation procedures, the lack of transparency and the lack of uniform control standards.”
Families are today demanding the creation of an international donor registry and the introduction of global limits that will prevent the re-spread of single-donor DNA on such a massive scale.
