Once thought to be a phenomenon associated exclusively with elite athletes, anabolic steroid abuse is now understood to permeate all levels of organized sports, from high school to olympic and professional, and its popularity among recreational athletes and non-athletes has been growing as well. When viewed in the context of the substantial adverse health effects associated with chronic steroid ingestion, and in particular, the serious health risks faced by adolescent abusers, this situation is properly seen as a major national health problem. By recently increasing the penalties for anabolic steroid possession, and distribution, and including, as one of its goals, a reduction in adolescent steroid use in a recent national health promotion, the federal government has indicated its recognition of the seriousness of this problem. Many professionals working in this field believe; however, that year-round random and unannounced urine testing is needed to lend any deterrent force to these actions. Unfortunately, frequent and wide-spread screening for steroid abuse is currently not possible due to the prohibitive cost of current testing methodologies. We propose to develop an inexpensive, rapid and easy to perform enzyme immunoassay for commonly abused steroids, which will greatly facilitate the wide-spread screening for steroid abuse, and thus provide professionals with the tool they need to combat this abuse.
