Rio's bacteria-laden water threatens Olympic swimmers, sailors

An investigation into Rio de Janeiro waterways found high levels of viruses and bacteria that could endanger athletes and spectators at the 2016 Olympic Games.

In the first independent testing of Olympic sites, The Associated Press (AP) concluded not a single venue is fit for swimming or boating. Tests at one location, the Rodrigo de Freitas Lake, measured pollution levels 1.7 million times higher than hazardous levels for the United States.

More than 10,000 athletes from over 200 nations will compete in Rio next year. Of those, 1,400 will come into contact with the contaminated waters.

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

The pollution comes from raw waste that runs through streams and rivers feeding into the sites where the Olympic Games will take place. Water pollution has always been a concern for Brazil, but these new results show historic levels of contamination.

Some athletes already training in Rio have gotten illnesses such as fever, vomiting, and diarrhea from the infested waterways.

“This is by far the worst water quality we’ve ever seen in our sailing careers,” said Ivan Bulaja, the coach of Austria’s sailing team. While training in one of the Olympic sites, Guanabara Bay, Bulaja said some of his sailors have missed training time and stayed bed ridden for days after falling ill.

After examining the AP data, Kristina Mena, an American expert in risk assessment for waterborne viruses, found a 99-percent chance of infection if someone ingests just 3 teaspoons of the water. But even without drinking the water people are at risk. Viruses can enter the body through the mouth, eyes, nose, or a small cut. Sailors and rowers often get splashed with water while racing.

While bidding for the 2016 Olympic Games, Rio promised to clean up its waterways with $4 billion of sanitation infrastructure. Brazil vowed to build eight treatment facilities to filter out sewage and prevent trash from flowing into waterways. Only one facility completed construction since Rio won the Olympic selection in 2009

Locals might be less susceptible to illnesses because it is possible to develop immunities to some of the viruses found in the water. But athletes coming from foreign countries will not have immunity to the sewage-polluted waters.

With the current rates of pollution, Griffith does not forecast a resolution to the sewage problem before the 2016 games kick-off on Aug. 5. He advised athletes to head to Rio early in order to build up their immune systems.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.