The Infectiously Dirty Waters of Rio De Janeiro Pose Threat To 2016 Olympic Athletes’ Health
The beauty of Rio De Janeiro is known the world over for its undeniable appeal, and as the venue for the upcoming 2016 Olympic games it promises amazing views. However, the Associated Press has released a study which states that the waters where events are scheduled to take place are so contaminated with human feces and viruses that those who come into contact with it run the risk of becoming infected and violently ill and may be unable to compete in the Olympic games.
An official Associated Press investigation into the water contamination lasted over a period of five months and was conducted by a top Brazilian virologist, Fernando Spilki, through four rounds of tests and 150 water samples. The levels of disease-causing viruses present in the waters of Rio de Janeiro were found to be well over 1.7 million times the acceptable levels of a beach in Southern California.
John Griffith, a marine Biologist from Southern California, was responsible for examining the methodology used during the AP testing of these infectious and dirty waters and was astounded by the results.
“I’ve never seen numbers this high reported, at least not in the literatures I’ve read.”
Rio De Janeiro has a long-standing issue with sewage treatment and very little progress has been made towards change — only a 16-20 percent treatment of the sewage waste in general. Streams are filled with raw waste, fed by open air ditches which in turn run into the beaches and coastlines of Olympic water sites. The AP also reported that during the bid to host the Olympic games Brazil officials had stated they would build four treatment plants to deal with the water contamination issues that the country faces.
More than 10,000 athletes from over 200 countries are slated to compete in the Olympic games from August 5-21, 2016. Approximately 1,400 of whom will come into contact with the contaminated waters. Guanabara Bay will be the site of sailing events, swimming will be off of Copacabana Beach, and canoe and row will be on the waters of the Rodrigo de Freitas Lake. Many prime beaches have been deserted because of the dirty waters, surfs thick with putrid sludge, and even the Olympic lake, Rodrigo de Freitas, is also littered with rotting fish.
The investigation tested for viruses and bacteria levels in the waters, while the Brazilian biologists normally only test for bacteria levels. In an interview regarding the findings from the Associated Press, these same officials maintained that they would not change the method they use.
“We’ve had reassurances from the World Health Organization and others that there is no significant risk to athlete health,” Dr. Richard Budgett, medical director for the International Olympic Committee, told the AP.
The Guardian reported that Kristina Mena, an expert in the field of risk assessment of waterborne viruses, added her voice after examining the Associated Press findings regarding Rio’s infectious waters. She advised that persons who have not had constant contact with these waters have a 99 percent chance of falling ill if they ingested just three teaspoons of water. Austrian sailors who are already preparing for the Olympic water events in Brazil have reported that some team members have already fallen ill with diarrhea, vomiting, and fevers.
Thus far, only one plant has been built in regard to water treatment, and the report is showing it’s far too late for the infectious waters of Rio De Janeiro to be fit for the 2016 Olympic games. Brazil has been struggling in multiple areas of preparation for the 2016 Olympic games in Rio De Janeiro and it is unlikely that these infectious waters will see much improvement.
[Photo Courtesy of Matthew Stockman / Mario Tama via Getty Images]
