X-rays could tell Chinese Olympic gymnasts' ages, scientists say

[n2doc]

Is He Kexin 16 or 14? Doctors and forensics experts say bone growth could reveal how old the Olympic medalists really are.
By Karen Kaplan and Alan Zarembo, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
August 23, 2008
How do you tell the age of a Chinese gymnast?

Don't bother with those government-issued passports or birth certificates.

Go for the X-rays.

For all the global hand-wringing over how international gymnastics officials will ever figure out whether three members of the Chinese women's team were old enough to compete, doctors and forensics experts said it's actually not too difficult.

The science of determining age is has been honed by decades of treating patients with growth disorders, identifying youthful homicide victims and determining the deportation status of illegal immigrants.

"It would be relatively easy," said Dr. David Senn, a forensic odontologist at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center who has analyzed numerous X-rays of immigrants apprehended at the border.

The science is based on measuring the growth of bones and teeth as children mature. Decades of data have been distilled into detailed tables recording the precise size and shape of skeletal components broken down by age, sex and race.

The task is so straightforward that Dr. Peter Hampl, president of the American Board of Forensic Odontology, said the Chinese government should just consent to X-rays and let the films speak for themselves.

"If there is nothing to be afraid of, let their kids be X-rayed," he said. "It's almost incriminating if they don't."

more:
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-gymnasts23-2008aug23,0,6150137.story