drug testing is infallible - or it it?

From the Sunday Telegraph:

"Nandrolone testing under a cloud
By Simon Hart
(Filed: 29/05/2005)

In pictures: Drugs in sport

New research has cast doubt over the accuracy of the test for nandrolone,
the banned anabolic steroid, and raised the possibility that some athletes
suspended for failing dope tests could have been wrongfully punished.

A confidential directive sent by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to
their accredited testing laboratories, a copy of which has been seen by The
Sunday Telegraph, warns that the recent discovery of a phenomenon known as
"unstable urine" could invalidate a positive finding for the muscle-building
steroid - one of the most commonly detected banned drugs in sport.

The agency admit there is now evidence nandrolone, or its related compounds
19-NA and 19-NE, can form spontaneously after an athlete's urine sample has
been taken away for testing. Research is still being carried out to try to
explain the chemical reaction but it could be the result of bacterial
degradation of naturally occurring hormones.

In the meantime, WADA have instructed laboratories to carry out "stability
tests" on urine samples that have a high density, an indicator of
instability, and low concentrations of 19-NA and 19-NE. They have been asked
to report any relevant cases immediately.

The agency have also taken the unprecedented step of raising the threshold
for a positive nandrolone finding from two to 10 nanograms per millilitre of
urine in samples shown to be unstable. Previously, the 2ng limit was set in
stone and, under the strict liability rule, any nandrolone reading above
this level was automatically recorded as a positive drug test, whatever the
athlete's explanation. Although WADA believe instances of unstable urine are
"rare," they admit several new cases have recently come to light. If their
laboratories discover more examples, the credibility of the agency's testing
procedures could be under threat.

Simon Davis, a British authority on dope-testing, said he believed the new
findings could have a bearing on as many as 70 per cent of positive
nandrolone cases. He said: "Further research is undoubtedly needed but if
the leaked document is correct, at a minimum all nandrolone positives with
high sg's [specific gravity, or density] and two to 10ng concentration must
be rescinded as a matter of urgency."

The latest discovery revives memories of the case of British middle-distance
runner Diane Modahl, who proved that high levels of testosterone detected in
her sample in the mid-Nineties were the result of a bacterial reaction due
to poor refrigeration of her sample container. Since nandrolone came to
prominence in the late Nineties, numerous high-profile athletes have been
banned for testing positive for low levels of the steroid. Among the first
was Britain's Dougie Walker, a former European 200 metres champion who
served a two-year ban, and 400m runner Mark Richardson, whose suspension was
cut to a year after he proved that supplements he had been taking had been
contaminated with the drug.

More recently, Greg Rusedski and seven other professional tennis players
recorded nandrolone levels fractionally above 2ng but well below 10ng. All
were subsequently cleared by a tribunal after successfully arguing that
contaminated electrolytes handed out by trainers working for the Association
of Tennis Professionals were to blame.

WADA strongly criticised the ATP and said the players' exoneration was
"greatly disturbing" because it undermined the principle of strict
liability, whereby an athlete is solely responsible for what he or she
consumes. Ironically, the new research findings have now forced the agency
to accept nandrolone levels even higher than those recorded by the tennis
players, blowing another hole in their zero-tolerance wall.

For some athletes, however, the scientific breakthrough is too late. Walker,
who always protested his innocence, has now retired from athletics and
declined to discuss his case, though it is understood the sample he provided
in 1998 showed some of the typical features now associated with unstable
urine.

But it is unlikely he will have any legal recourse since any athlete seeking
compensation would almost certainly have to prove that their urine sample
was undeniably unstable - something that would be impossible since
instability tests were not carried out at the time.

Sports lawyer Nick Bitel, who represented Walker during his disciplinary
hearings, said: "My real issue with the anti-doping system is that it is
based on the scientific knowledge of the day and no matter what the experts
say now, they will find new things out later. Nandrolone is one of the best
examples of this.

"Many years ago they said it didn't occur naturally in people, full-stop.
Then they said it occurred only in pregnant women. Then they said it
occurred in small quantities in men. What worries me is that we are
classifying people as cheats based on scientific knowledge as it is at the
moment, and this is what I think happened to Dougie Walker. He was a great
athlete who had his career truncated through no fault of his own. It is very
sad.""

"Andy Coggan" wrote in message
news
From the Sunday Telegraph:

"Nandrolone testing under a cloud
By Simon Hart
(Filed: 29/05/2005)

In pictures: Drugs in sport

New research has cast doubt over the accuracy of the test for nandrolone,
the banned anabolic steroid, and raised the possibility that some athletes
suspended for failing dope tests could have been wrongfully punished.

A confidential directive sent by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to
their accredited testing laboratories, a copy of which has been seen by
The Sunday Telegraph, warns that the recent discovery of a phenomenon
known as "unstable urine" could invalidate a positive finding for the
muscle-building steroid - one of the most commonly detected banned drugs
in sport.

The agency admit there is now evidence nandrolone, or its related
compounds 19-NA and 19-NE, can form spontaneously after an athlete's urine
sample has been taken away for testing. Research is still being carried
out to try to explain the chemical reaction but it could be the result of
bacterial degradation of naturally occurring hormones.

In the meantime, WADA have instructed laboratories to carry out "stability
tests" on urine samples that have a high density, an indicator of
instability, and low concentrations of 19-NA and 19-NE. They have been
asked to report any relevant cases immediately.

The agency have also taken the unprecedented step of raising the threshold
for a positive nandrolone finding from two to 10 nanograms per millilitre
of urine in samples shown to be unstable. Previously, the 2ng limit was
set in stone and, under the strict liability rule, any nandrolone reading
above this level was automatically recorded as a positive drug test,
whatever the athlete's explanation. Although WADA believe instances of
unstable urine are "rare," they admit several new cases have recently come
to light. If their laboratories discover more examples, the credibility of
the agency's testing procedures could be under threat.

Simon Davis, a British authority on dope-testing, said he believed the new
findings could have a bearing on as many as 70 per cent of positive
nandrolone cases. He said: "Further research is undoubtedly needed but if
the leaked document is correct, at a minimum all nandrolone positives with
high sg's [specific gravity, or density] and two to 10ng concentration
must be rescinded as a matter of urgency."

The latest discovery revives memories of the case of British
middle-distance runner Diane Modahl, who proved that high levels of
testosterone detected in her sample in the mid-Nineties were the result of
a bacterial reaction due to poor refrigeration of her sample container.
Since nandrolone came to prominence in the late Nineties, numerous
high-profile athletes have been banned for testing positive for low levels
of the steroid. Among the first was Britain's Dougie Walker, a former
European 200 metres champion who served a two-year ban, and 400m runner
Mark Richardson, whose suspension was cut to a year after he proved that
supplements he had been taking had been contaminated with the drug.

More recently, Greg Rusedski and seven other professional tennis players
recorded nandrolone levels fractionally above 2ng but well below 10ng. All
were subsequently cleared by a tribunal after successfully arguing that
contaminated electrolytes handed out by trainers working for the
Association of Tennis Professionals were to blame.

WADA strongly criticised the ATP and said the players' exoneration was
"greatly disturbing" because it undermined the principle of strict
liability, whereby an athlete is solely responsible for what he or she
consumes. Ironically, the new research findings have now forced the agency
to accept nandrolone levels even higher than those recorded by the tennis
players, blowing another hole in their zero-tolerance wall.

For some athletes, however, the scientific breakthrough is too late.
Walker, who always protested his innocence, has now retired from athletics
and declined to discuss his case, though it is understood the sample he
provided in 1998 showed some of the typical features now associated with
unstable urine.

But it is unlikely he will have any legal recourse since any athlete
seeking compensation would almost certainly have to prove that their urine
sample was undeniably unstable - something that would be impossible since
instability tests were not carried out at the time.

Sports lawyer Nick Bitel, who represented Walker during his disciplinary
hearings, said: "My real issue with the anti-doping system is that it is
based on the scientific knowledge of the day and no matter what the
experts say now, they will find new things out later. Nandrolone is one of
the best examples of this.

"Many years ago they said it didn't occur naturally in people, full-stop.
Then they said it occurred only in pregnant women. Then they said it
occurred in small quantities in men. What worries me is that we are
classifying people as cheats based on scientific knowledge as it is at the
moment, and this is what I think happened to Dougie Walker. He was a great
athlete who had his career truncated through no fault of his own. It is
very sad.""

The Nandrolone issue has been going on for quite a few years. I used to
have a study saved on my computer (crashed though) that showed that a good
number of athletes had natural levels substancially above the level to test
positive
Dave

Andy Coggan wrote:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/mai...9/sodrug29.xml

That's the stuff Moninger was positive for.

"Andy Coggan" wrote in message
news
From the Sunday Telegraph:

"Nandrolone testing under a cloud
By Simon Hart
(Filed: 29/05/2005)

Snip-

Ah, maybe Luperini 45 day suspension for Nandrolone was unjust.

B-

Andy Coggan wrote:
From the Sunday Telegraph:

"Nandrolone testing under a cloud

When the german 5000m olympics gold medallist, an outspoken
critique of doping, got suspended for Nandrolone use, I got the
suspsision that something must be wrong he

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/ath...toothpaste_ap/

This guy doesn't look like a steroid abuser.

On Thu, 02 Jun 2005 20:57:42 +0200, Ernst Noch wrote:

Andy Coggan wrote:
From the Sunday Telegraph:

"Nandrolone testing under a cloud

When the german 5000m olympics gold medallist, an outspoken
critique of doping, got suspended for Nandrolone use, I got the
suspsision that something must be wrong he

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/ath...toothpaste_ap/

This guy doesn't look like a steroid abuser.

Nandrolone is degraded in the gut - it is an injectable steroid. Eating it
would be unlikely to cause elevated levels in the blood at 10 times the
acceptable limit (24ng/dl) even if the guy had just had a tooth pulled, and
his gums were bleeding, and he was brushing his teeth 10 times a day and
swallowing the toothpase, especially given the small concentration in the
whole tube of toothpaste. (I'm assuming it was 2K ng in the whole tube)

As the investigating agency, I'd want to first rule out that he injected
some one of his doses into the toothpaste tube (and crossed his fingers and
waited), after learning he had failed a test.

I would hope he's not dumb enough to have suggested ways that it could have
happed as sabotage. Most people in the sport take a fair amount of care
that their food or gear is not handled by others. (I think this was
mentioned that Lemonde did this during his last TdF win fearing this might
happening to him. But I think such things are extremely risky to do to
someone and unlikely to be a realisic fear.)

Nandrolone also has a relatively short half-life. It's ideal for use in the
off season, since it can drop off within 4 weeks to levels under the
cut-off.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'doesn't look like a steriod abuser'. Steroid
use aids in recovery and slows or prevents muscle/protein breakdown due to
exercise and normal catabolism. It also allows better uptake of protein as
long as there is ample supply in the diet. It won't give you big biceps or
even big muscles unless you weight train them.

jj

"Jet" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 02 Jun 2005 20:57:42 +0200, Ernst Noch wrote:

Andy Coggan wrote:
From the Sunday Telegraph:

"Nandrolone testing under a cloud

When the german 5000m olympics gold medallist, an outspoken
critique of doping, got suspended for Nandrolone use, I got the
suspsision that something must be wrong he

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/ath...toothpaste_ap/

This guy doesn't look like a steroid abuser.

Nandrolone is degraded in the gut - it is an injectable steroid. Eating it
would be unlikely to cause elevated levels in the blood at 10 times the
acceptable limit (24ng/dl) even if the guy had just had a tooth pulled,
and
his gums were bleeding, and he was brushing his teeth 10 times a day and
swallowing the toothpase, especially given the small concentration in the
whole tube of toothpaste. (I'm assuming it was 2K ng in the whole tube)

As the investigating agency, I'd want to first rule out that he injected
some one of his doses into the toothpaste tube (and crossed his fingers
and
waited), after learning he had failed a test.

I would hope he's not dumb enough to have suggested ways that it could
have
happed as sabotage. Most people in the sport take a fair amount of care
that their food or gear is not handled by others. (I think this was
mentioned that Lemonde did this during his last TdF win fearing this might
happening to him. But I think such things are extremely risky to do to
someone and unlikely to be a realisic fear.)

Nandrolone also has a relatively short half-life. It's ideal for use in
the
off season, since it can drop off within 4 weeks to levels under the
cut-off.

Yeah but it is detectable for up to 18 months



I'm not sure what you mean by 'doesn't look like a steriod abuser'.
Steroid
use aids in recovery and slows or prevents muscle/protein breakdown due to
exercise and normal catabolism. It also allows better uptake of protein as
long as there is ample supply in the diet. It won't give you big biceps or
even big muscles unless you weight train them

Nandrolone by itself has never been a drug for gaining mass or size, it is
typically stacked with other Steroids to gain size. Cyclists used it in the
days before the strict testing not only for recovery but it will enhance you
endurance and has been known to stimulate RBC production

Dave

Ernst Noch wrote:

Andy Coggan wrote:
From the Sunday Telegraph:

"Nandrolone testing under a cloud

When the german 5000m olympics gold medallist, an outspoken
critique of doping, got suspended for Nandrolone use, I got the
suspsision that something must be wrong he

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/ath...toothpaste_ap/

This guy doesn't look like a steroid abuser.


I am not infallible, but that is not dependent upon the drugs I happen
to be testing.


"I've tested a lot of drugs, but I don't think it should be mandatory."
-- weed smoker Bill "Spaceman" Lee on mandatory drug testing in baseball

In article ,
keynes' old slave wrote:

Ernst Noch wrote:

Andy Coggan wrote:
From the Sunday Telegraph:

"Nandrolone testing under a cloud

When the german 5000m olympics gold medallist, an outspoken
critique of doping, got suspended for Nandrolone use, I got the
suspsision that something must be wrong he

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/ath...toothpaste_ap/

This guy doesn't look like a steroid abuser.


I am not infallible, but that is not dependent upon the drugs I happen
to be testing.


"I've tested a lot of drugs, but I don't think it should be mandatory."
-- weed smoker Bill "Spaceman" Lee on mandatory drug testing in baseball

Weed smoker? Not half! Bill Lee pitched a no-hitter
while totally under the influence of LSD.

--
Michael Press

On 06/04/2005 03:06 AM, in article
, "Michael Press"
wrote:

In article ,
keynes' old slave wrote:

"I've tested a lot of drugs, but I don't think it should be mandatory."
-- weed smoker Bill "Spaceman" Lee on mandatory drug testing in baseball

Weed smoker? Not half! Bill Lee pitched a no-hitter
while totally under the influence of LSD.



Nope ... That was Dock Ellis, of the Pittsburgh Pirates, on June 12, 1970,
against the San Diego Padres.






--
Steven L. Sheffield
stevens at veloworks dot com
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ess ay ell tea ell ay kay ee sea eye tee why you ti ay aitch
aitch tee tea pea colon [for word] slash [four ward] slash double-you
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