Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The next Summer Olympic games take place in Rio de Janeiro next August. And a new round of testing by The Associated Press finds the city's Olympic waterways are as filthy as ever.
In July, the AP reported that its first round of tests showed disease-causing viruses directly linked to human sewage at levels up to 1.7 million times what would be considered highly alarming in the U.S. or Europe.
Now, the AP's most recent tests since August show not only no improvement in water quality — but that the water is even more widely contaminated than previously known. The number of viruses found over a kilometer from the shore in Guanabara Bay, where sailors compete at high speeds and get utterly drenched, are equal to those found along shorelines closer to sewage sources.
Nevertheless, Olympic and World Health Organization officials have flip-flopped on promises to carry out viral testing in the wake of the AP's July report.
Brazilian, Olympic and WHO officials now say that Brazil needs only to carry out testing for bacterial "markers" of pollution to determine water quality. That's the standard used by nations around the globe, mostly because it's been historically easier and cheaper.
%@AP Links
APPHOTO XSI311: In this Nov. 5, 2015 photo, workers take a rest on two "eco-boats," or garbage-collecting barges, at a canal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The barges are a key part of authorities' efforts to clean up Rio's Guanabara Bay before it and other city waterways host swimming and boating competitions at the 2016 Olympics. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo) (5 Nov 2015)
<<APPHOTO XSI311 (11/05/15)££
APPHOTO XSI310: In this Oct. 31, 2015 photo, boys float using an inflatable mattress in Guanabara Bay. Waterborne virus expert Kristina Mena says none of the venues for Rio's 2016 Olympics are fit for swimmers or boaters. Athletes who ingest three teaspoons of water have a 99 percent chance of being infected by viruses. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) (31 Oct 2015)
<<APPHOTO XSI310 (10/31/15)££
APPHOTO XSI309: In this Oct. 31, 2015 photo, a young man dives into the polluted waters of Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Waterborne virus expert Kristina Mena says none of the water venues for the city's 2016 Olympics, including the bay, are safe for swimmers or boaters. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) (31 Oct 2015)
<<APPHOTO XSI309 (10/31/15)££
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
