AP Investigation: Rio Olympic waters full of illness-inducing viruses, on par

An unprecedented amount of human poop is festering in Rodrigo de Freitas Lake and Copacabana Beach, where hundreds of swimmers and boaters are scheduled to compete in next year’s summer Olympics and Paralympics, an Associated Press investigation has found.

Brazilians officials maintain the water will be safe for the Olympic athletes, but the government does not yet test for viruses.

Extreme water pollution is common in Brazil, where the majority of sewage is not treated. Yet AP tests found its waters to be among the most polluted for Olympic sites. But the stench of raw sewage still greets travelers arriving at Rio’s global airport.

The results was determined on four games of experience due to AP with the locations for yachting and running and also for the bathing part of the triathalon, along with at Rio’s renowned Ipanema Beach. “It is water from toilets, showers and what people throw in the sink, all mixed up, that goes into the water at the beaches”.

“In the U.S., Griffith said, areas with such levels of contamination ‘would be shut down immediately.’ “. Vera Oliveira, head of water monitoring for Rio’s municipal environmental secretariat, told the AP water quality is the city’s responsibility.

Fevers and stomach problems have already beleaguered some athletes training in Rio, the AP reported. Pollution levels are equivalent to those in raw sewage, the news agency added. Because the presence or absence of viruses in the water [is not relevant]… we need a standard, a limit. “You don’t have a standard for the quantity of virus in relation to human health when it comes to contact with water”. Olympic champion of 2000 and 2004, Pieter Van den Hoogenband, tweeted this year “Great Conditions” with a photo showing dead fish floating on waters in which the marathon swimming will take place next year. Almost 1,400 of the expected 10,000 Olympic athletes participate in water sports. The tests measured levels of human adenovirus, rotavirus and enterovirus as well as fecal-coliform bacteria.

The AP investigation found that all the swimming and boating venues were too contaminated for competition, and experts said it’s too late to even try to flush it away in time for the events.

‘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.’. She found “an infection risk of 99%”.

Brazilian health experts who deal with sewage-related illnesses point out that most Brazilians develop immunities to these viruses by the time they reach adolescence, but foreigners won’t have that advantage.

Germany’s sailing team have also branded it a “dump”. His sailors have lost valuable training days after falling ill with vomiting and diarrhea. “This is by far the worst water quality we’ve ever seen in our sailing careers”.