Chemists in the Shadows

Fred Flintstein

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Feb 4, 2012, 7:15:20 PM2/4/12

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In the hard copy edition of Discover Magazine.
It'll show up online eventually but isn't there
yet.

The article is about Patrick Arnold, the chemist
behind Balco and supplier to Tammy Thomas, who
apparently ignored dosing advice and went way
overboard. He's done his time and is willing to
talk about his former profession.

F

Fred Flintstein

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Feb 5, 2012, 12:18:05 AM2/5/12

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A little more detail.

Arnold is an industrial chemist making stuff used
in hair products. He's a weightlifter. He's bored.
He's got time on his hands at work. He starts
adding steroid precursors to his orders for lab
materials. He starts making simple steroids for
personal use in addition to hair chemicals. He's
smart enough to recognize an acceptable finished
product and eventually gets pretty good at it.

He quits his job. Combing through journals he finds
a powerful and forgotten steroid from 1961.

He and an investor set up a lab in Illinois. Their
first product is androstenedione, which he finds
in an East German chemical abstract. He makes a
ton of money on that.

China is a boon to the small chemist, he finds a
source for the precursor needed to make the long
forgotten steroid from 1961. Tammy Thomas is an
early customer, he also sells through Victor Conte
and Balco.

Thomas is reckless and they realize she will
eventually be caught. When that happens their
secret steroid will no longer be secret. This
provides the motivation to move into developing a
totally new substance that will be undetectable.
Arnold does this and sells it through Conte.

In 2003 a former coach of Marion Jones obtains
a syringe of the new steroid and the Balco scandal
is off to the races.

Very interesting stuff. I doubt there is a shortage
of smart Chinese chemists willing to fill the void
left by Balco.

F

Mike

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Feb 5, 2012, 4:11:40 PM2/5/12

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On Feb 4, 10:18 pm, Fred Flintstein <bob.schwa...@sbcREMOVEglobal.net>
wrote:

Good summary, andro is a very weak precurser, a little better than
DHEA, but nothing I would consider doping. You can get HGH from any
'life extension" dr. in LA, and as much test as you want by driving
into mexico. They will inject your ass for an extra $5. The
journalists that cover doping are at least ten years behind...the
Schlecks are doing some interesting DNA genome genetic doping stuff,
it's really wild. Armstrong was into the blood doping, he'll be dead
in about five years. Kidney failure. Shocking to everyone in the
world. An expensive Texan science experiment.

Fred Flintstein

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Apr 26, 2012, 2:19:14 PM4/26/12

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The article is online now.

http://discovermagazine.com/2012/mar/08-juicers-trippers-crocodiles-dangerous-underground-chemistry/

F

atriage

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Apr 27, 2012, 10:58:39 AM4/27/12

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And the poor saps at the London Olympics insist this is gonna be the
cleanest games ever.

Frederick the Great

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May 13, 2012, 11:39:00 PM5/13/12

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In article <FJCdnYt2wYE_DATS...@giganews.com>,

> The article is online now.
>
> http://discovermagazine.com/2012/mar/08-juicers-trippers-crocodiles-dangerous-underground-chemistry/

This is hilarious. Long ago I knew a gent who did that kind of thing.
It was always about finding syntheses and precursors to a given end.

--
Old Fritz

Fred Flintstein

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Jul 31, 2012, 11:43:35 AM7/31/12

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Hahahahaha! Looks like I called it!

Gold medals in swimming are not won in the pool. They're
won in the lab in China.

And I'll bet not a single Olympic athlete gets popped for
steroids.

F

Simply Fred

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Jul 31, 2012, 4:23:46 PM7/31/12

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Fred Flintstein wrote:
> And I'll bet not a single Olympic athlete gets popped for
> steroids.

Apart from the weightlifters, but they're unlikely to be the brightest
bulb in the chandelier.

atriage

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Jul 31, 2012, 4:44:12 PM7/31/12

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Some of the horses are pretty illiterate too.

--