Density of Blood
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| Bibliographic Entry | Result (w/surrounding text) |
Standardized Result |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cutnell, John & Johnson, Kenneth. Physics, Fourth Edition. Wiley, 1998: 308. |
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1060 kg/m3 | ||||||
| Benson, Katherine. MCAT Review. Emory University. 1999. | "Typical values of the density of blood plasma and blood cells are 1025 kg/m^3 and 1125 kg/m^3, respectively." | 1025 kg/m3 (plasma) 1125 kg/m3 (blood cells) |
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| "Blood." Funk and Wagnalls Encyclopedia. 1985: 157. | "It has a characteristic odor and a specific gravity between 1.056 and 1.066" | 1056–1066 kgm3 | ||||||
| Hinghofer-Szalkay, H.G. and Greenleaf, J.E. Continuous monitoring of blood volume changes in humans. Journal of Applied Physiology. Vol. 63 (1987): 1003-7. | [see graphs below] | 1043–1057 kg/m3 | ||||||
| Ageyama, Naohide, et al. Specific Gravity of Whole Blood in Cynomolgus Monkeys, Squirrel Monkeys, and Tamarins. Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science. Vol. 40, Issue 3 (May 2001). | "The values for the mean SGB ± 1 standard deviation are: cynomolgus monkeys, 1.0526 ± 0.0019 [males (n = 39), 1.0531 ± 0.0017; females (n = 48), 1.0522 ± 0.001]; squirrel monkeys, 1.0555 ± 0.0037 [males (n = 56), 1.0581 ± 0.0027; females (n = 76), 1.0536 ± 0.0032]; and tamarins, 1.0582 ± 0.0020 [males (n = 13), 1.0582 ± 0.0023; females (n = 17), 1.0581 ± 0.0018]." | 1052.2–1058.1 kg/m3 [and see table below] |
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Blood is a liquid tissue composed of roughly 55% fluid plasma and 45% cells. The three main types of cells in blood are red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. 92% of blood plasma is composed of water and the other 8% is composed of proteins, metabolites and ions. The density of blood plasma is approximately 1025 kg/m3 and the density of blood cells circulating in the blood is approximately 1125 kg/m3. Blood plasma and its contents is known as whole blood. The average density of whole blood for a human is about 1060 kg/M3.
Blood density changes with body posture. Venous blood density is higher when a person is standing than when he is sitting. The following charts show the venous blood densities of 6 subjects as they change body positions during a 10 minute period.
Blood density also varies from species to species and between genders within a species. The following chart show the results of a blood densinometry study done on various species of monkeys.
| Cynomologus Monkeys | Tamarins | Squirrel Monkeys | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 1053.1 ± 1.7 | 1058.2 ± 2.3 | 1058.1 ± 2.7 |
| Female | 1052.2 ± 1.0 | 1058.1 ± 1.8 | 1053.6 ± 3.2 |
Michael Shmukler -- 2004