Metals in UG lab gear

[bugsy187]

Would...a few cycles of UG gear..(advanced stealth) effect metal levels in blood. I have heard that UG gear...tend to contain high levels of metal. I dont use...UG any more..but somtimes I find my self getting hand tremmors..nothing too bad..its noticable. I have heard that metal poisoning causes that! i will be going to docotor..but jus wanted some opinons from experienced useers! Thankls

[1-503rd_IN]

advanced stealth ripped me off so I would not even know but I do nto use UGL shit anymore.  I used alins shit and I didnt get anywhere near the results i have had with HG stuff. 

[Captain Equipoise]

Personally I only trust the bigger UG labs, geneza (in the past) B.D and axio   

[1-503rd_IN]

did u filter ur UG gear?

[MuscleMcMannus]

Personally I wouldn't trust any UG gear regardless of how big they are.  NONE of those producers test their powders.  It doesn't matter how big or how clean their production facility is.  If they aren't testing the powders for heavy metals it doesn't matter.  Companies like Schering etc. have quality control measures in place. 

[bugsy187]

No I didnt filter the gear. I am never touching UG again....something jus didnt feel right with AS gear.

[1-503rd_IN]

did u make any gains with the astealth gear?

[brent2741]

Personally I only trust the bigger UG labs, geneza (in the past) B.D and axio   

axio is good

[Van_Bilderass]

Personally I wouldn't trust any UG gear regardless of how big they are.  NONE of those producers test their powders.  It doesn't matter how big or how clean their production facility is.  If they aren't testing the powders for heavy metals it doesn't matter.  Companies like Schering etc. have quality control measures in place. 

Exactly. The size of the operation matters little, none of them test for contaminants. In fact, British Dragon was one lab which showed high metal in one report on BoS. We can debate whether these tests are biased in some way but the fact of the matter is it's impossible for them to guarantee purity.

[4thAD]

Exactly. The size of the operation matters little, none of them test for contaminants. In fact, British Dragon was one lab which showed high metal in one report on BoS. We can debate whether these tests are biased in some way but the fact of the matter is it's impossible for them to guarantee purity.

how can you say none of them test for contaminants?

[Van_Bilderass]

how can you say none of them test for contaminants?

It's the impression I get. Do you know otherwise? Which UG lab has a testing protocol and what does it look like?

Getting CoA from the powder source doesn't mean anything of course.

[1-503rd_IN]

if all those UG companies that make "stealth" garbage were so good then people would nto always be saying how crappy and underdosed they are all the time, I never hear people bitch about HG stuff............b/c it works well.........UGL gear is unreliable at best

[4thAD]

if all those UG companies that make "stealth" garbage were so good then people would nto always be saying how crappy and underdosed they are all the time, I never hear people bitch about HG stuff............b/c it works well.........UGL gear is unreliable at best

first of all the stealth gear is probably the bottom of the barrel gear. 2nd a lot of the HG gear you think you are getting is a lot of times fake UG gear. I don't care if its in amps or not, even amps are easy to fake.

[MuscleMcMannus]

first of all the stealth gear is probably the bottom of the barrel gear. 2nd a lot of the HG gear you think you are getting is a lot of times fake UG gear. I don't care if its in amps or not, even amps are easy to fake.

Amps are NOT easy to fake.  Are they faked?  Yes they are.  But they are not easy to fake.  An amp is a closed vial of glass that takes special equipment to produce, especially mass produce.  You can fill vials in your bathroom.  Not so with amps.  The bottom line is NONE of the UG labs test their powders.  It's way too expensive.  Do you  know how expensive it is to test for heavy metals?  I.e. lead, etc?  Very very expensive. 

[4thAD]

True you do need special equip to make amps that is obvious, but lots of HG gear is faked in amps! If it was so expensive and hard to do it would not be happening. You can not say that NO, ZERO, UG's test their powders. I personally know of one that does, and I'm sure there are more. Bill Lewellyn is obviously testing for heavy metals in UG gear so although it may be expensive, its not out of the question.

[MuscleMcMannus]

True you do need special equip to make amps that is obvious, but lots of HG gear is faked in amps! If it was so expensive and hard to do it would not be happening. You can not say that NO, ZERO, UG's test their powders. I personally know of one that does, and I'm sure there are more. Bill Lewellyn is obviously testing for heavy metals in UG gear so although it may be expensive, its not out of the question.

No Bill has NEVER tested for heavy metals.  The lab tests posted on his website were done by the Courant not him or BOS.  His upcoming book supposedly is testing for heavy metals.  And I agree HG amps can and are faked.  That wasn't my point.  But you still have to have a pretty large operation going to fake amps.  Any joe blow can mix some shit up and throw it in vials.  Also "fake" and "counterfeit" are two different things.  I'd say there is a lot more counterfeit HG gear than there is out and out fake HG gear compared to UG.  And I'd like to know which UG tests their powders.  It's very expensive and for most UGs unless they are big like Syntrop, Endosyn, Axio etc. very cost prohibitive. 

[Van_Bilderass]

You can not say that NO, ZERO, UG's test their powders. I personally know of one that does, and I'm sure there are more.

No offense but I don't buy it. We also have to remember that testing that's worth a damn mean testing each and every batch of powders received. I suspect you mean they may be doing some melting point testing or even amount of active hormone in the powder. But testing every batch for active, purity, contaminants... I very much doubt any of them do or have ever done.

[Van_Bilderass]

No Bill has NEVER tested for heavy metals.  The lab tests posted on his website were done by the Courant not him or BOS. 

Couldn't find the report on the homepage but found this on the forum.

Going Underground?
by William Llewellyn, with Ronny Tober (Sept. 23, 2008)

There is no question about it. Underground steroid products make up the dominant share of the global steroid business now. What was once a market largely fed by real prescription drugs, is now one where small-scale underground manufacturing and home brewing operations thrive. The underground market does accomplish one very substantial thing – it allows the very large demand for these drugs to be met. It will be the first to admit, that were it not for the underground aspect of this trade, there would be far fewer drugs in commerce, and far fewer people with access to them. But this article is not about the availability of underground steroids. It is about their safety.

Underground steroids are indeed everywhere. But are they actually safe to use? Are underground steroids truly equivalent to the prescription drugs they are to replace? Those in support of the underground business often herald their favorite brands. Who is to blame them when they have access to a company that can supply them the variety, and often great value, that can be found with underground steroids. Many readers will recognize that we have had a very active testing history at Body of Science. In fact, I suspect that no single magazine or online community has tested as much as we have. But we too have our limitations. Up until now, our testing has been focused solely on the steroid content of a product. In other words, we have been able to tell you if X steroid was present in Y amount, but that is it.

The Labs

In an effort to help consumers REALLY assess the quality and potential health risks of underground steroid products, BodyofScience.com and ANABOLICS undertook a detailed joint drug analysis project. This project focused solely on examining the quality of steroids made from underground facilities, and exceeded the normal scope of testing by examining a number of other variables often overlooked in dosage testing. A total of 14 underground steroid samples were selected for laboratory testing, which included products from Amplio Labs, British Dragon, Diamond Pharma, Generic Anabolics, Generic Pharma, Lizard Laboratories, Medical Inc., Microbiological Labs, ********** Supplements, Shark Laboratories, SWE Supplements, and Troy Labs. Included in this list were drugs that were made from small underground manufacturers, mid-level operations, and even producers large enough to have their items assembled under contract by drug manufacturing facilities. All 14 samples were analyzed at a registered and licensed facility in the U.S.

The Tests

There were four specific areas of testing for this market analysis project. The first test was to look for the presence of toxic heavy metals such metals as lead, tin, mercury, and arsenic. Next, we commissioned the standard steroid quantification testing to see how these products were dosed. After this we looked to see if there were any unknown steroidal contaminants in the products. Pharmaceutical grade steroids will be highly pure. Unprocessed intermediary chemicals or other contaminants should not appear upon analysis. The presence of unknown steroidal substances signifies that lower quality materials (not made to pharmaceutical standards) were used. Finally, we examined for the presence of the flavoring agent 2,4-decadienal. This material is common to food products, and its presence demonstrates that food-grade oil (not highly pure pharmaceutical grade oil for injection) was used during product manufacture.

The Results

A detailing of the first 2 results from this testing series is available below, for all readers to see. Overall, the products examined in this study reflected extremely poorly on the quality of the underground steroid market. To begin with, more than 20% of the products (1 in 5) contained heavy metal contamination. While pre-market testing would have noticed this, if such products were ever found on pharmacy shelves in the U.S. it would trigger an immediate nationwide recall. Next, an examination of basic drug dosing showed many deviations. Approximately 35% of the products were actually significantly overdosed. While this was likely done in an effort to produce a stronger user response and loyal customer base, this is unacceptable and does raise many potential safety issues. The remaining results will be published in the upcoming release of William Llewellyn’s ANABOLICS 7th Edition (2009).


Test #1: Heavy Metals Contamination

Sample Contamination Result
1. methandrostenolone None Detected (<0.002) PASS
2. testosterone enanthate None Detected (<0.002) PASS
3. testosterone enanthate None Detected (<0.002) PASS
4. testosterone propionate None Detected (<0.002) PASS
5. boldenone undecylenate Metals Found (>0.002) FAIL
6. testosterone cypionate None Detected (<0.002) PASS
7. boldenone undecylenate Metals Found (<0.002) FAIL
8. trenbolone hexahydro. None Detected (<0.002) PASS
9. testosterone cypionate None Detected (<0.002) PASS
10. methenolone enanthate Metals Found (>0.002) FAIL
11. testosterone cypionate None Detected (<0.002) PASS
12. nandrolone decanoate None Detected (<0.002) PASS
13. methenolone enanthate None Detected (<0.002) PASS
14. trenbolone enanthate None Detected (<0.002) PASS

Failure Rate: 21%


Test #2: Dosage vs. Label Claim (mg/mL)

Sample Labeled Dose / Actual Dose / Percentage of Claim / Pass Fail Status
1. methandrostenolone 25 mg 115 mg 459% FAIL
2. testosterone enanthate 250 mg 440 mg 176% FAIL
3. testosterone enanthate 250 mg 408 mg 163% FAIL
4. testosterone propionate 75 mg 127 mg 169% FAIL
5. boldenone undecylenate 200 mg 240 mg 120% PASS
6. testosterone cypionate 200 mg 204 mg 102% PASS
7. boldenone undecylenate 200 mg 178 mg 89% PASS
8. trenbolone hexahydro. 76 mg 190 mg 249% FAIL
9. testosterone cypionate 200 mg 177 mg 88% PASS
10. methenolone enanthate 100 mg 54 mg 54% FAIL
11. testosterone cypionate 250 mg 171 mg 69% FAIL
12. nandrolone decanoate 250 mg 228 mg 91% PASS
13. methenolone enanthate 100 mg 78 mg 78% FAIL
14. trenbolone enanthate 100 mg 0 mg 0% FAIL

Failure Rate: 64% (+/- >20% of Label Claim)


Conclusion

The results are fairly self-explanatory. Even with just these two sets of tests under our belt, serious problems are evident. The heavy metals, of course, are alarming. The metals tested here are all known to pose specific threats to health when they accumulate in the body. Those metals considered inert (such as iron and aluminum) were not included. Heavy metals are common in chemical-manufacturing operations, but are normally removed through very careful product assembly and purification steps. They were likely found here because the raw materials used to make some of these steroids was simply made “cheaply”, without the expense needed to hit true drug-grade purity. This type of material could be considered “food grade”, and likely dominates most of the underground market.

This article is certainly not meant to be an outright attack on underground products. Indeed, to many bodybuilders these products fill an important niche, which is very understandable. Indeed also, there are products to be found on the underground market that are made to high quality standards. In fact, these results should underline the other side of the coin, that it is possible for underground steroids to meet the level of true pharmaceutical grade drug purity. After all, some of these products did not have any unacceptable heavy metals, and were properly dosed. The very difficult trick, however, can be just finding them. Either way, I feel it is very important to be aware of the good and the bad of the underground anabolic/androgenic steroid market before you make any decisions. Stay informed. Stay safe.

[MuscleMcMannus]

Couldn't find the report on the homepage but found this on the forum.

This is typical of Bill's testing protocols.  He says he tested for contaminants but where are they and what are they?  All he lists is a pass/fail.  Well for the fails what did he find?  That's what I mean when I say he NEVER has tested for heavy metals.  HE says has but do you see the results?

[4thAD]

Pass or fail is good enough for me. If it fails I don't touch it. I don't really need to know how much or what kind of metal it is.

[4thAD]

No offense but I don't buy it. We also have to remember that testing that's worth a damn mean testing each and every batch of powders received. I suspect you mean they may be doing some melting point testing or even amount of active hormone in the powder. But testing every batch for active, purity, contaminants... I very much doubt any of them do or have ever done.

OK believe what you want, I'm not here to make up bs, but I have seen the the lab reports.

[1-503rd_IN]

ya know you can get all caught up i these test but gain do not lie, any pros do not get their gains from a sachet........when i have done cycles with sachet crap I  got gains simply from lifting and taking "natural" supplements and when I do cycles with HG or "lower quality HG" I get great gains thats are triple those of UGL crap i have used.  I am no expert but I can tell you from my experience that UGL stuff is garbage and you get what u pay for when it comes to juice.  I do not trust some Asian (no racism intended) man or some eastern European in a 3rd world country making crap out of a shipping container he lives in with recycled 2 liter Pepsi bottles and power he got from some guy that dropped out med school b/c a jihad was declared in another country.  Its like the supplement market in America......you cannot trust any of that crap b/c it not regulated by the FDA anymore so most of it is rice flour.  Look at A-rod he has a million dollar body do you really think he used some UGL "boli' from central America?  Come on use our brains and look at whats in front of you and not on some 3rd world con artist webpage.

[4thAD]

ya know you can get all caught up i these test but gain do not lie, any pros do not get their gains from a sachet........when i have done cycles with sachet crap I  got gains simply from lifting and taking "natural" supplements and when I do cycles with HG or "lower quality HG" I get great gains thats are triple those of UGL crap i have used.  I am no expert but I can tell you from my experience that UGL stuff is garbage and you get what u pay for when it comes to juice.  I do not trust some Asian (no racism intended) man or some eastern European in a 3rd world country making crap out of a shipping container he lives in with recycled 2 liter Pepsi bottles and power he got from some guy that dropped out med school b/c a jihad was declared in another country.  Its like the supplement market in America......you cannot trust any of that crap b/c it not regulated by the FDA anymore so most of it is rice flour.  Look at A-rod he has a million dollar body do you really think he used some UGL "boli' from central America?  Come on use our brains and look at whats in front of you and not on some 3rd world con artist webpage.

You are very naive if you believe that no UG gear is as good as HG. Most is garbage, but some UG gear is very good. What is all the talk about sachet gear, I have already stated more than once that is the bottom of the barrel as far as gear goes.

Put it this way, the UG I use, if I gave you two vials of test unmarked you would not be able to tell which one was HG and which one was the UG. Before this UG I was using only HG gear, so I have used my fair share of human grade gear. I'm talking US made human grade gear.

[1-503rd_IN]

i can see your point i did not make myself clear I am talking about stealth gear...........its useless and dangerous

[abc123]

Wouldn't the metals come out when filtering with a .22 millapore if you haven't exceeded each metal's melting point?  Or are the trace amounts too small?  Just curious.