Examination of Firearms Review: 2007 to 2010 - Interpol

plasma based on LC-MS/MS, with LODs in the range of 0.4-8.3 ng/mL [382].
3.3.6.1 Anabolic androgenic steroids
Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are widely abused by athletes and
account for the majority of adverse analytical findings reported in doping
control. Testosterone is the most common AAS abused. Although traditional
methods allow identification and characterization of testosterone and its
metabolites in urine, they cannot distinguish between pharmaceutical products
and endogenous materials. A study summarized the results obtained from the
doping control analysis for delta(13)C values of selected steroids during the
period of the 2007 Pan American Games [383]. One urine sample with a
testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio of 4.7 was confirmed to be positive
while the delta values of 5-beta-diol and 5-alpha-diol were 3.8 and 10.8,
respectively, which exceeded the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) limit of 3
per thousand. A study was reported to determine if consuming a diet low in
13C plants, such as soy, can be confused with a GC/Combustion (C)/Isotopic
Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS)-positive test for exogenous testosterone
[ 384 ]. The study concluded that the carbon isotope ratios of urinary
testosterone metabolites of vegetarians consuming a diet that is markedly
depleted of 13C content were lower than that of control subjects, but not low
enough to result in exceeding the WADA limit.
Debate on the use of >2 ng/mL of 19-norandrosterone (19-NA) in urine taken
as prima facie evidence of administration of nandrolone or other 19-norsteroid
has never stopped. Two reports indicated that it is possible for positive
detection of 19-NA despite not having taken 19-norsteroid [385,386].
Contraceptives containing 19-norandrostenedione as impurity per 1 mg and 5
mg of norethisterone were administered to female volunteers in doses used for
menstrual disorders, and resulted in maximal 19-NA concentrations of 9.1
ng/mL and 63 ng/mL, respectively [385]. The urinary concentrations of 19-NA
in 1202 female volunteers who were not using anabolic steroids, including 38
subjects using oral contraceptives containing norethisterone, were studied.
The results showed that only one sample exceeded the 19-NA reporting
threshold, having a concentration of 4.1 ng/mL [386]. 28 women participated in
a study in the excretion of nandrolone metabolites [19-NA, and
19-noretiocholanolone (19-NE)] in urine, as analysed by GC-MS, revealed that
urinary concentrations of 19-NA and 19-NE ranged from undetectable levels to
1.14 and 0.47 ng/mL, respectively [387]. Therefore, a urinary concentration of
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