Fighting the Olympic drug cheats

Brazil’s Doping Control Laboratory will analyse more than 7,300 samples of athletes’ urine and blood for over 200 prohibited substances and their metabolites*. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometer systems can detect concentrations of banned substances, down to picogram levels – a trillionth of a gram-per-millilitre

*compounds produced when a body processes a particular drug

BEREG-KIT collection bottles: Urine samples provided in tamper-proof bottles, used for testing at Olympics since Sydney Games in 2000

Sample A: Filled with 60ml. Part of sample screened for prohibited substances. Remainder of sample stored

Laser labels: Each anonymous sample identified by unique seven-digit number and bar code

Security cap: Rings with metal and glass teeth interlock once
cap has been screwed down. Only way to open bottle is to break cap

Sample B: Filled with 30ml. Stored for later use to confirm
Sample A findings. B samples frozen for up to eight years

PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS

Anabolic steroids Synthetic derivatives of male hormone testosterone.

Used to increase muscle mass and strength. Enables user to work out harder and more frequently. Some designer steroids are undetectable

Blood collection bottles

Human growth hormone Also known as gonadotropin. Boosts muscle mass and decreases adipose tissue. Injected to improve strength
and endurance

Diuretics Increase flow of urine to flush drugs from body

Beta-2 agonists Used to treat asthma by opening airways.
High doses can act as anabolic agent to promote muscle
gain and increase oxygen intake. Used by swimmers

Beta blockers Decrease heart rate, reduce hand tremor, and inhibit anxiety. Used by archers and shooters

Creatine supplements Makes ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which enables quick bursts of activity. Used by weightlifters, sprinters

Erythropoietin EPO acts on bone marrow to increase production of
red blood cells and haemoglobin to boost oxygen to muscles. Epoetin – synthetic form of erythropoietin – used by endurance athletes

Gene doping Injecting purified EPO gene directly into muscle. Gene test to be used at Rio

Gas chromatograph (GC): Very small quantities of sample
are injected into column

Mass spectrometer:(MS)

47cm

Oven: Column – 1-4 metres long, up to 4mm in diameter – is coiled up in thermostatically controlled oven

Separation: Molecules in sample separate as they travel through column

Detector: Each moleculetakes specific time to exit column

Mass spectrometer After passing through GC, each molecule is ionized by MS into electrically charged atoms (ions). These
are fanned out into spectrum based on mass

Results: Each mass spectrum represents unique “fingerprint” of molecule, which can be compared to database of mass spectra.
Some “spikes” indicate chemicals produced naturally, others reveal presence of banned substances

Sources: “The Prohibited List”, WADA, Mayo Clinic, Berlinger, Agilent Technologies, Royal Society of Chemistry