The levels of disease-causing viruses were similar to those found in raw sewage.
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“It’s going to increase the exposure of the people who come into contact with those waters”, said Kristina Mena, a USA expert in waterborne viruses. “In fact, we have experts engaged on examining the best monitoring protocols and we will be discussing virus testing at an upcoming meeting in Brazil”, the agency told the AP in an emailed statement in late October.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – The 10,500 athletes at next year’s Olympics will feel first-hand the deep budget cuts buffeting the Rio de Janeiro Games: they won’t have air conditioning in their bedrooms unless someone pays for it. But the organizers have all but admitted that they will not have enough time before next summer’s Games to properly clean up the waters and ensure athletes’ safety. Tests commissioned by the Associated Press found that Rio’s waterways are consistently high in viral counts, creating a risk for athletes competing in sailing, rowing, and canoeing events. The level of pollution would likely result in the closure of the beaches in the US or Europe, according to the report.
The Associated Press publishes its first story based on data from five months of viral and bacterial testing of Rio’s venues for Olympic water sports. Unfortunately, these human bodies will also be subjected to sewage-infested waters, complete with flesh-eating bacterias.
A new round of testing shows those pathogen levels are just as bad offshore as they are close to land, meaning the sewage that flows into the waters from rivers and storm drains doesn’t get diluted as it travels out to the bay or lagoon, where many athletes will compete.
Andrada acknowledged delays were tied to Brazil’s bureaucracy, particularly with the politics and corruption scandals upstaging the Olympics.
“Rio 2016 follows the expert advice of the World Health Organization, whose guidelines for Safe Recreational Water Environments recommend classifying water through a regular program of microbial water quality testing”, it said.
It’s alarming that the efforts to clean up the water seem to have fallen flat, and with the Olympics less than a year away, it seems there won’t be much improvement before the games. Brazilian officials have officially confirmed that this is not going to happen, placing all of the athletes at risk. Ipanema Beach, popular with tourists and where numerous expected 350,000 foreign visitors will take a dip during the games, was also tested.
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But the World Health Organization says Brazil, like nearly all countries, only needs to test for bacterial “markers” of pollution.
