In a new viral interview, people who were the victims of “body brokers” detailed how parts of loved ones’ bodies were flogged to the highest bidder.
Though it’s slightly different on the black market, with people claiming that a human heart can be sold for anywhere up to $1 million, body brokering sees legitimate businesses exchange body parts for medical and scientific research.
One such victim, Farrah Fasold, gave her father’s body to medical science after his death in 2009. She later learned that his arm was stuffed in a barrel with other human remains. Another person, Kim Erick, “recognised” her son’s body on display at The Thinker exhibition in Las Vegas. Though illegal in the UK under the Human Tissue Act, it’s a booming business in the US, according to an expose from The Sun.
Researcher and author Jenny Kleeman explained: “In the UK, you can donate your body to medical research, but nobody’s allowed to donate your body for you. The people who administer the whole process, they don’t make a profit out of it.
“Whereas in America, you are allowed to make a profit out of providing these dead bodies [without permission].”
Right, so how much would body brokers make off specific parts?
The body broker business is booming in the US right now, with one business making a staggering £9.3 million over three years. These businesses, usually operating under the guise of “non-transplant tissue banks”, sell to a range of clientele like universities, medical engineering firms testing implants and surgical tools, and even military research. The money doesn’t go to loved ones, but to the firm selling the body.
According to The Sun, an entire body would go for around $10k, with specific body parts priced:
- Torso – £2,360
- Liver – £450
- Head – £370
- Foot – £260
- Lower leg – £260
- Spine – £220
- Artery – £48
- Fingernail – £5
Things are a lot more lucrative over in the illegal body market, with one report suggesting that parts can sell for:
- Corneas – $15k
- Lungs – $206k
- Kidneys – $105k
- Liver – $106k
- Heart – $425k
- Skeleton – $5k
- Bones and ligaments – $3.5k
- Skin – $6 per square inch
- Blood – $225 per litre
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Featured image credit: Canva
