As reported by FINA (no date; circa 2000)

The IOC Medical Commission has distributed the following explanatory note which modifies the reporting levels for Salbutamol and Ephedrines:

Salbutamol is classified as both a stimulant and an anabolic agent.

The intent of unannounced out-of-competition testing is to detect anabolic agents. The revised rules on salbutamol consider it as anabolic agent when its concentration is higher than 500 nanograms/milliliter and confirmed by enantiomeric analysis.

However, pending the acceptance of the enantiomeric analysis by a peer-reviewed journal, only concentrations higher than 1000 nanograms/milliliter will be considered a positive as an anabolic agent until further notice. Samples that contain less than this amount are not to be reported to the authorities for unannounced out-of-competition testing.

In-competition testing is designed to detect the use of salbutamol either as an anabolic agent or as a stimulant. Whether or not the administration of salbutamol is declared is an important issue for in-competition testing.

As always, it is the task of the authorities to interpret the laboratory finding. In order not to overload authorities with the need to confirm medical notifications of non-recent inhaled use, laboratories do not need to report concentrations lower than 100 nanograms/milliliter.

All concentrations above correspond to free (non conjugated) salbutamol.

The pharmacology and urinary pharmacokinetics of the ephedrines were reviewed. The consensus was that the revised cut-offs would detect all cases of doping where the ephedrines were ingested on the day of competition.

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