It’s like the movie trope where characters pass a lake and someone whispers, “Don’t disturb the water,” only instead of arousing the ire of a monster, you get violently ill.
An analysis by the Associated Press has found that the waters of Rio de Janeiro—the site of the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics—are highly contaminated with bacteria and viruses.
Rio is infamous for its water being contaminated by untreated human sewage, which often causes young children to develop infectious diarrhea for years (until their bodies develop enough antibodies). Currently, officials there test the waters for bacteria, but do not test for viruses—bad news for the nearly 1,400 athletes who will compete in sailing, swimming, canoeing, and rowing there.
The tests so far show that Rio’s waters “are chronically contaminated,” said Fernando Spilki, the man hired to conduct the analyses. “The quantity of fecal matter entering the waterbodies in Brazil is extremely high. Unfortunately, we have levels comparable to some African nations, to India.”
Leonardo Daemon, coordinator of water quality monitoring for the state’s environmental agency, told the AP that officials are just following Brazilian regulations on water quality, which are all based on bacteria levels, like those of most other nations.
The water is so contaminated that in some places the levels of disease-causing viruses is up to 1.7 million times higher than the level that would be considered dangerous for a SoCal beach.
One expert in risk assessment for waterborne viruses, Kristina Mena, estimated that by ingesting just three teaspoons of this water, athletes run a 99% risk of falling ill. Even those in craft on the water are at risk, as they breathe in mist and often get drenched—because viruses enter the body not only through the mouth, but through other orifices too.
Variety is the spice of life
Spilki, a virologist and coordinator of the environmental quality program at Feevale University in southern Brazil, tested the water in four areas: Marina da Gloria in Guanabara Bay, Copacabana beach, and the Rodrigo de Freitas Lake—three Olympic water venues—and Ipanema Beach, a popular tourist destination.
After collecting 37 samples, Spilki tested for adenoviruses, enteroviruses, and rotaviruses, which are known to cause vomiting, explosive diarrhea, respiratory problems, and serious brain and heart diseases.
In terms of viruses, the AP’s tests found that not one of the venues was safe for swimming or boating, and the concentrations in all of the tests were about equivalent to that seen in raw sewage.
The AP also tested for fecal coliform bacteria, which can suggest the presence of cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A and typhoid. In about 75% of the samples, the amount of fecal coliforms exceeded the legal limit for “secondary contact” (like with boaters).
“Everybody runs the risk of infection in these polluted waters,” said Dr. Carlos Terra, a hepatologist and head of a Rio-based association of doctors specializing in the research and treatment of liver diseases.
Be prepared
According to doctors, visitors to Rio should strongly consider vaccines against hepatitis A (which infects about 60% of the population there) and for typhoid.
Water-bound athletes may want to seek further precautions.
“If I were going to be in the Olympics,” said aid John Griffith, a marine biologist at the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, “I would probably go early and get exposed and build up my immunity system to these viruses before I had to compete, because I don’t see how they’re going to solve this sewage problem.”
Despite what seems like overwhelming evidence, Dr. Richard Budgett, the medical director for the International Olympic Committee, said that the IOC and Brazilian authorities should stick to their program of testing only for bacteria to determine whether the water is safe for athletes.
“We’ve had reassurances from the World Health Organization and others that there is no significant risk to athlete health,” he told the AP.
He added that “there will be people pushing for all sorts of other tests, but we follow the expert advice and official advice on how to monitor water effectively.”
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Feature Image: Thinkstock
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