Professional Seminar on the Case
We learn from an emailer of a seminar by the International Association of Forensic Sciences:
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 Time: 7:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
#1 Bad Science: The Floyd Landis Case
| Bruce A. Goldberger, PhD University of Florida Department of Pathology College of Medicine Gainesville, FL | Robert D. Blackledge, MS Retired Forensic Chemist El Cajon, CA |
Floyd Landis, a professional bicycle racer from Murrieta, California, won the 2006 Tour de France. However, not many days after the race’s conclusion, the Laboratoire National de Dépistage du Dopage (LNDD) “announced” (actually the information was leaked to the press) that a urine sample obtained from Floyd after stage 17 had been found to be positive for a form of synthetic testosterone. If this finding were to be upheld, Landis would be stripped of his title and also banned from participation in the sport.
Landis denied any sports doping and his strategy in fighting these charges has been to try to generate public support and to make all of the documentation of the LNDD tests available to the public. GC/MS is used by LNDD for preliminary sample screening, and carbon stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry is used for final confirmation.
From the standpoint of a forensic analytical chemist with experience in forensic laboratory accreditation standards, this presentation will examine the analytical data and correspondence from the Landis case in terms of chain of custody requirements, World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) guidelines and LNDD SOP, and reasonable standards of good laboratory practice.
7 comments:
with all the floyd fans here and the continual effort of tbv I am wondering did floyd once drop by and say thanks ?
Hey raaman,
We don't have any kind of actual connection with Floyd in the operation of this site. For example, we don't run things past him or get suggestions from him or coordinate the site with his legal team or anything like that.
He does read the blog and has on more than one occasion expressed gratitude to us for paying attention to his case.
I particularly heard from him when I published the "obit". That communication was very personal in nature.
That said, although feedback or "thanks" from him is unnecessary and not why any of us contribute, he has expressed his appreciation for our effort.
I hope that answers your question.
Bill
Regarding this seminar, it would seem from the title (and I checked the actual linked site to verify that the "Bad Science" part was actually used there) there are professionals who think the lab work has serious deficiencies. And I see that Dr. Augenstein-Meier (sp?) is speaking up.
That there are reputable professionals who think something is rotten in Switzerland shows that CAS was wrong to castigate Landis for trying to defend himself. Rather than just a frivolous shot at clearing his name, there were legitimate issues here and he had every right to press on.
Reasonable people can discuss which experts are right. But is it just plain mean-spirited, and IMHO even unprofessional for the panel to jump on Landis' case for exercising his rights, such as they exist.
I have my guy Dr. Earnest already signed up to attend. He's a great writer, so he should have a good summary for us afterward. I'll see if I can get him to post. He's reading "The Wiki" right now.
Raamman I need no thanks, from Floyd or anyone else. Being able to work at TBV, even in my limited capacity, has been an absolute honor. That said, Floyd has thanked me on a number of occasions. No one would do this for any reason other than an obstinate dedication to the truth.
str
The mere fact that such a seminar can be reasonably held pisses me off once again. Not because I disagree with the title, but rather because I feel it is so aptly titled. The effectively unquestionable stature of the WADA's Code and assumed perfection of the science on which it relies is at the heart of why the system sucks. So I'm both glad and mad that this seminar on "bad science" is taking place.
I wonder if WADA and USADA will have representatives there taking notes????
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