Blood Doping In Cyclers

"I am really in a bind," reports 18-year-old Jeremy Post, American cycling representative in the 1998 Tour de France competition. "I have discovered that my roommate has been taking synthetic EPO in order to "dope" his blood with extra red blood cells."

"Tomorrow starts the competition, and I have seen several other cyclers using the drug during training. I know the severe risks of taking the stimulant; and if I don't report him, he may die of a heart attack or stroke during the event!"

What does Jeremy do? Does he break the so called "code of silence" among the athletes, or does he keep quiet about what he knows?

What We Need to Know

What is "blood doping?" What are various ways it can be done?
What is EPO or erythropoietin? Is it produced in the body naturally? Explain its role.
What is the advantage of extra red blood cells to an athlete?
If EPO is naturally occurring in the body, why would taking the synthetic form cause heart attacks or stroke?
What is a "code of silence?" If you were Jeremy, would you report your information to officials? Why or why not?

Recently, French researchers at the National Anti-Doping Laboratory in Chatenay-Malabry have devised a urine test for the artificially-made EPO. The technique is able to distinguish between natural and synthetic EPO. In 1998, they studied 104 stored urine samples of the participants in the above race. They found 14 samples with high amounts of synthetic EPO, indicating that these cyclists had been using the hormone to dope their blood for the race!

What We Need to Know

Are all athletes routinely tested for drugs? Should they be?
Would universal testing save lives of athletes?
The routine testing of athletes for drugs like EPO can be very costly. Who should bear the burden of paying for the testing on a universal level?
Should the results of the 1998 Tour de France bicycling competition be thrown out in light of the recent evidence of drug use?

Assignment

You are a taxpayer and have been asked to support a bill for universal testing of EPO in all athletes in the U.S. sporting competitions, including professional team sports such as hockey, football, and baseball. The testing would be done on a routine basis and would be of considerable cost to the taxpayer. Knowing that it may save the lives of athletes each year, would you support the bill? Write an argument either for or against supporting this legislation and send it in a letter to your state senators.

RESOURCES

Nature, June 8, 2000.

Seppa, Nathan. 2000. New tests may catch bicyclers on dope. Science News. Vol. 157: 395.

http://www.tc.cc.tx.us/~mstorey/beckham.html

http://www.cyclingnews.com/results/archives/may97/29a_5.html

http://www.advinc.com/~slik1/17.htm