Rio de Janeiro's waters full of sewage ahead of 2016 Summer Olympics, report says
Athletes competing in water sports in Rio 2016 Summer Olympics risk becoming ill and unable to compete in the games, an investigation by Associated Press found.
The newswire carried out an analysis of water quality, revealing high levels of viruses and bacteria from human feces and sewage that contaminate all the tested waters.
"It's all the water from the toilets and the showers and whatever people put down their sinks, all mixed up, and it's going out into the beach waters,” John Griffith, a marine biologist at the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project told AP.
Although Brazilian officials have assured that the waters will be sterilised by then, several local athletes have already fallen ill recently after trials on the water with reports of fevers, vomiting and diarrhea.
Coordinator of water quality monitoring for the state's environmental agency Leonardo Daemon commented that officials were strictly following the government's regulations on water quality, based on bacteria levels.
He added that there was no standard “for the quantity of virus in relation to human health when it comes to contact with water."
More than 10,000 athletes from 205 nations are expected to take part in the competition, with about 1,400 of them sailing in the waters near Marina da Gloria in Guanabara Bay, swimming off Copacabana beach, and canoeing and rowing in the Rodrigo de Freitas Lake.
AP said will continue its viral testing in the coming year, before the games kick off.
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