Researchers have developed a new method that can detect xenon in blood samples from athletes up to 24 hours after the effect of the drug has worn off. During the Winter Olympics in Sochi, rumours spread that some Russian athletes inhaled the noble gas xenon, which studies have shown can stimulate the production of erythropoietin (EPO) and testosterone. On May 18, 2014, the World Anti-Doping Agency added xenon to its list of prohibited substances.
Original research paper published in the the journal Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry on May 25, 2014.
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