AP Investigation: Rio’s Olympic water rife with sewage virus

Pollution lines the shore on Guanabara Bay, site of sailing events for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, on July 29, 2015 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Despite that, water quality experts say it’s actually viruses that cause most waterborne diseases – and that there is little correlation between the numbers of viruses from human sewage in water to the bacteria found.

The AP teamed up with a noted Brazilian virologist to test water at three sites where Olympic and Paralympic athletes will compete, and also at one of Rio’s most popular tourist beaches.

AP said some competitors training in Rio have already fallen ill with fevers, vomiting, and diarrhea, despite assurances from Brazilian officials that the venues will be safe for competition.

Tests conducted by the AP found levels of disease-causing viruses as much as 1.7 million times the level that would be considered hazardous on a Southern California beach.

An expert in water risk assessment who examined the data from AP said athletes have a 99% chance of being infected if they swallowed just three teaspoons equivalent of the polluted water.

Alternatively, athletes could fall severely ill for days at a time, missing out on crucial training time and potentially undermining their performance in the qualifying rounds or the Olympics themselves.

Brazilian officials are strictly adhering to bacteria level-based water quality regulations followed by nearly all countries.

Concerns were raised, ahead of the AP investigation, about the state of Rio’s Guanabara Bay – where the sailing will take – which a number of competitiors have described as the dirtiest place they have ever trained or competed.

The other Olympic water venues are under the control of the Rio state environmental agency.

The Summer Games will attract more than 10,000 athletes, representing 205 nations.

” ‘What you have there is basically raw sewage, ‘ said John Griffith, a marine biologist at the independent Southern California Coastal Water Research Project”.

“I’ve had high temperatures and problems with my stomach”, Hussl said. Because the presence or absence of viruses in the water [is not relevant]… we need a standard, a limit.

Spilki’s testing looked for three different types of human adenovirus that are typical “markers” of human sewage in Brazil. “[Right now] we don’t have a standard, a standard that shows the amount of virus in relation to human health, in contact with water”. “The Olympic medal is something that you live your life for”, he says, “and it can really happen that just a few days before you get ill and you’re not able to perform at all”.

While Brazilians are exposed from childhood and build up immunities foreigners are advised by the Rio de Janeiro Infectious Diseases Society, whether athletes or tourists, to get vaccinated against hepatitis A.