As rowers, sailors, and open-water swimmers are undergoing training runs in water where floating debris is visible, studies for The Associated Press have found levels of bacteria and viruses so high that ingestion of just three teaspoons could lead to severe stomach and respiratory illnesses. In July 2015, the Associated Press reported that an independent analysis of water quality showed high levels of viruses and bacteria from human sewage in Rio’s Olympic and Paralympic water venues-levels that are up to 1.7 million times what would normally be considered alarming in the United States or Europe.
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The problem today is the same as it was a year ago: Although Rio has managed to reduce the level of bacteria in the water, there has been no progress in eliminating unsafe viruses.
Not only are some 1,400 athletes at risk of getting violently ill in water competitions, but the AP’s tests indicate that tourists also face potentially serious health risks on the golden beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana.
Numerous bacteria were present at extraordinarily high levels, meaning the risk of infection is frighteningly large.
On Monday, the findings of a 16-month AP survey of the aquatic Olympic and Paralympic venues showed a high levels of viruses and led biomedical expert Valerie Harwood to warn: “Don’t put your head under the water”. You don’t even have to go in the water to be at risk – tests of the sand itself also found greater than average levels of viruses. So, that’s the cleanest area of Guananabara Bay, it’s the entrance of Guanabara Bay.
This is also where the rowing competition will take place. The Rio Olympics water problems stand to impact more athletes and tourists than anything else, and not just those that play water sports.
While local authorities including Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes have acknowledged the failure of the city’s water cleanup efforts, calling it a “lost chance” and a “shame”, Olympic officials continue to insist Rio’s waterways will be safe for athletes and visitors.
Some athletes are taking precautions, such as taking antibiotics, bleaching oars, and using special suits and gloves to avoid contact with the water, the AP reports. By this June, adenovirus readings were lower but still hair-raising at 248 million adenoviruses per liter.
Beneath the surface of some of Rio de Janeiro’s most stunning beaches, a new drug resistant super bacteria has emerged.
But while several reports and studies have found Rio’s water to be highly contaminated, it is worth wondering if the conditions are as dire as they seem to be. The latest study on the Rio waterways is another warning to what a few experts have said in the past.
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Reporter Paul Ryan is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Thursday morning where there’s been plenty of concern leading up to the games.
