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posted by CoolHand on Friday July 31 2015, @04:24PM   Printer-friendly
from the caught-in-the-storm dept.

The Associated Press reports some disturbing data on the water quality in Rio De Janeiro, site of the 2016 Summer Olympics. Sewage treatment in Rio is in a sad state. There have been some half-assed efforts to build treatment plants, but they haven't kept pace with the city's rapid population growth, and most of the sewage just flows into rivers and streams untreated. The AP commissioned a study to measure bacteria and viruses in the outdoor water sport venues as well as some tourist beaches, and found dangerously high levels of pathogens in all of them.

Ivan Bulaja, the Croatian-born coach of Austria's 49er-class sailing team, has seen it firsthand. 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," said Bulaja.

Training earlier this month in Guanabara Bay, Austrian sailor David Hussl said he and his teammates take precautions, washing their faces immediately with bottled water when they get splashed by waves and showering the minute they return to shore. And yet Hussl said he's fallen ill several times.

"I've had high temperatures and problems with my stomach," he said. "It's always one day completely in bed and then usually not sailing for two or three days." It is a huge risk for the athletes, the coach said.

"The Olympic medal is something that you live your life for," Bulaja said, "and it can really happen that just a few days before the competition you get ill and you're not able to perform at all."

Dr. Alberto Chebabo, who heads Rio's Infectious Diseases Society, said the raw sewage has led to "endemic" public health woes among Brazilians, primarily infectious diarrhea in children. By adolescence, he said, people in Rio have been so exposed to the viruses they build up antibodies. But foreign athletes and tourists won't have that protection.


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  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 31 2015, @04:34PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 31 2015, @04:34PM (#216373)

    I think the idea of holding an Olympics where all the competition is held within easy driving distance of the Olympic Village, may be coming to an end. There are few countries (or individual states, for the USA) that can afford building out that extravaganza to the demanding specifications of the IOC and the broadcast networks, while taking care of the needs of the athletes, minimizing disruption to residents, and (especially) not breaking the bank so the country winds up with 11 figures USD budget deficit after the party is over.

    Why do the sailors even have to be in Brazil? The Olympic sailing competition could be held at about the same time, anywhere in South America for instance.

    • (Score: 5, Interesting) by bart9h on Friday July 31 2015, @05:57PM

      by bart9h (767) on Friday July 31 2015, @05:57PM (#216422)

      No need to go that far. There's perfectly clean water just a few hours from Rio.

      The worst part is that this is a known, old issue. There were promises to clean it for the 2007 Pan-american games, billions was "spent" in a fake program to clean the waters, and now the same story again.

      • (Score: 2) by davester666 on Saturday August 01 2015, @09:16AM

        by davester666 (155) on Saturday August 01 2015, @09:16AM (#216711)

        But they totally promised to clean this shit up when they submitted their bid. Detailed plans, budgets, everything.

        It's like somebody just stole the money for it.

  • (Score: 5, Funny) by Thexalon on Friday July 31 2015, @04:39PM

    by Thexalon (636) on Friday July 31 2015, @04:39PM (#216381)

    See, I had thought this was going to be about how the International Olympic Committee is a decaying full-of-crap cesspool of slime and corruption that ruins everything it comes in contact with.

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    • (Score: 2) by ragequit on Friday July 31 2015, @04:43PM

      by ragequit (44) on Friday July 31 2015, @04:43PM (#216383) Journal

      so...

      fight fire with fire.

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      • (Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Friday July 31 2015, @07:29PM

        by LoRdTAW (3755) on Friday July 31 2015, @07:29PM (#216494) Journal

        Sigh... sadly, no. They will be right at home is those polluted beaches and rivers. In fact, the IOC might never want to leave.

    • (Score: 2) by Tork on Friday July 31 2015, @05:41PM

      by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Friday July 31 2015, @05:41PM (#216410)
      I didn't see any mention of FIFA.
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    • (Score: 3, Funny) by DeathMonkey on Friday July 31 2015, @05:50PM

      by DeathMonkey (1380) on Friday July 31 2015, @05:50PM (#216416) Journal

      See, I had thought this was going to be about how the International Olympic Committee is a decaying full-of-crap cesspool of slime and corruption that ruins everything it comes in contact with.
       
      Hey now, I don't think the IOC appreciates being compared to FIFA.

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Friday July 31 2015, @06:34PM

      by Phoenix666 (552) on Friday July 31 2015, @06:34PM (#216462) Journal

      Well, on that note I did submit a story this morning about Beijing's being selected for the Winter Olympics. The reason the IOC gave for their decision was, "vast commercial opportunities in a new winter sports market of more than 300 million people in northern China." Right there you have the raison d'etre of the Olympics now, to make money. Nothing else matters, not even the inconvenient fact that Beijing really doesn't get snow.

      --
      Washington DC delenda est.
      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Thexalon on Friday July 31 2015, @06:54PM

        by Thexalon (636) on Friday July 31 2015, @06:54PM (#216474)

        And on a related note, kudos to Boston for refusing to agree to what is apparently standard language in Olympics bid contracts, which states that all cost overruns will be paid by the host city. Of course, this might have something to do with Boston's past experience with staggering cost overruns [wikipedia.org].

        --
        The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 31 2015, @07:28PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 31 2015, @07:28PM (#216493)
          Wicked pissah! Best news to come out of Boston all week.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 31 2015, @07:31PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 31 2015, @07:31PM (#216496)

      Indeed. I shit on the Olympics!

  • (Score: 5, Funny) by Alfred on Friday July 31 2015, @04:59PM

    by Alfred (4006) on Friday July 31 2015, @04:59PM (#216395) Journal
    This is a new way to look at the home field advantage.
    • (Score: 2, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday July 31 2015, @06:12PM

      by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Friday July 31 2015, @06:12PM (#216439) Homepage

      And backs up what I've been saying this whole time about people(mostly Americans) being wimpy and getting sick all the time because they're using too much goddamn hand-sanitizer and getting certain vaccines (the flu vaccine In particular) they don't need and which don't do a goddamn thing anyway.

      • (Score: 4, Insightful) by morgauxo on Friday July 31 2015, @06:33PM

        by morgauxo (2082) on Friday July 31 2015, @06:33PM (#216461)

        I was going to reply about what a giant reach this comment is making then I noticed the name. I almost tried to use reason with Ethanol-fueled! What was I thinking?

        • (Score: 4, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Friday July 31 2015, @06:48PM

          by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Friday July 31 2015, @06:48PM (#216470) Journal

          The guy may be off his meds - but he's not terribly wrong. As individuals, we may be among the most healthy people on the earth. As a population, we are steadily breeding ourselves into wimpdom. Natural selection says the weak die, and the strong survive. We defy nature, going to extremes to ensure that the weak survive, while sending our strongest off to die in stupid, pointless wars.

          • (Score: 4, Touché) by FrogBlast on Friday July 31 2015, @07:43PM

            by FrogBlast (21) on Friday July 31 2015, @07:43PM (#216503)

            I had a whole rebuttal planned, about ethics and the meaning of genetic fitness in a society that can afford to support valuable people of very different physical capabilities. Then I bothered to look up the US and Rio De Janeiro infant mortality rates. They're pretty-much identical. I'll pack it all up and save it for when I have a leg to stand on...

            • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday August 01 2015, @01:29AM

              by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday August 01 2015, @01:29AM (#216602) Journal

              Cool. It's good for a person to take a stand, and to argue his position. But we should all remember that there are AT LEAST two sides to every story.

              I'm a softie. I can't pull the plug on someone who depends on life support, exotic drugs, expensive treatments, or anything else. But, I'm also very aware that "modern medicine" is often times motivated by profit. Sometimes, profit and the quality of life are at odds with each other.

          • (Score: 2) by morgauxo on Monday August 03 2015, @08:36PM

            by morgauxo (2082) on Monday August 03 2015, @08:36PM (#217565)

            I don't disagree but I can't accept the idea that the answer is found in exposing oneself to untreated sewage.

            I think we should let our immune systems practice on the common cold, not cholera.

        • (Score: 3, Interesting) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Friday July 31 2015, @11:11PM

          Among the reasons American children are not as resistant to disease as they once were is that American cleaning products are so effective at killing germs. While hand sanitizer only kill bacteria many cleaning products kill viruses as well.

          My ex wife Bonita Hatcher was a marine biologist. She explained this to me then pointed out that toddlers like to eat dirt because it innoculates them. Molecular biologist Ann Brolly said "The Clean Baby Hypothesis" is widely accepted by the scientific community.

          The reason one should not eat meat from animals treated with antibiotics is not that those antibiotics are present in the meat but that using antibiotics to increase livestock weight promotes bacterial resistance to those antibiotics. I am especially concerned about pork and fowl; their diseases sometimes jump species to human hosts.

          Many countries do not require physician prescriptions for medicines that require them in the US. I dont actually know but expect this leads many to take antibiotics for viral duseases as the common cold for which they are completely inneffective. Again this breeds superbugs.

          I dont get flu shots however in 2006 I got a booster shot for tetanus - due for another soon - and when I was fifteen I was vaccinated for typhus. Sometime soon I will get a rabies vaccination as I would like to volunteer at animal shelters.

          --
          Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
          • (Score: 2) by morgauxo on Monday August 03 2015, @08:45PM

            by morgauxo (2082) on Monday August 03 2015, @08:45PM (#217571)

            Dirt is one thing. Would you let your kid drink sewage?

  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by M. Baranczak on Friday July 31 2015, @05:04PM

    by M. Baranczak (1673) on Friday July 31 2015, @05:04PM (#216398)

    A related bit of news from a few years ago... when Oslo was bidding to host the winter Olympics, the IOC sent them a long list of demands, which was then leaked to the press. It has to be seen to be believed. They had detailed specifications for the IOC offices that Oslo was supposed to provide, including special Olympic furniture. They wanted a welcoming ceremony at the airport for the IOC chief. Dedicated traffic lanes for IOC members. Schools and businesses were supposed to close on certain days in order to reduce traffic. They also demanded a cocktail party at which they could meet the King of Norway (at the king's expense, of course).

    It makes me wonder - if Brazil can't provide basic services like sewage treatment, then what hope do they have of meeting the more esoteric requirements? I guess as long as they can afford to bribe the IOC, it doesn't matter.

    Oslo, Stockholm, Lviv and Kraków all recently dropped their bids for the 2022 winter games. Lviv had a war going on, but the other three would have been perfectly capable of hosting. That left only Almaty and Beijing (Beijing just won). Expect this pattern to continue in the near future.

    • (Score: 2) by takyon on Friday July 31 2015, @05:53PM

      by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Friday July 31 2015, @05:53PM (#216419) Journal
    • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday July 31 2015, @05:54PM

      by bob_super (1357) on Friday July 31 2015, @05:54PM (#216420)

      So you're redundantly repeating that it's normal to expect that during the big events (FIFA/IOC), the trademark owners asct as kings and rake in the dough, while the locals and athletes wade in shit?

    • (Score: 5, Interesting) by kadal on Friday July 31 2015, @06:01PM

      by kadal (4731) on Friday July 31 2015, @06:01PM (#216427)

      I've always wondered why they don't build a Sports City somewhere and use that for all global competitions. That's right a city full of massive track and field stadiums, swimming pools, soccer fields etc. Seems worth the investment

      • (Score: 2) by danmars on Friday July 31 2015, @06:21PM

        by danmars (3662) on Friday July 31 2015, @06:21PM (#216449)

        You mean basically have a sport version of Vatican City? Sounds like an interesting idea.

      • (Score: 4, Insightful) by takyon on Friday July 31 2015, @06:54PM

        by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Friday July 31 2015, @06:54PM (#216475) Journal

        The sports city will be located in Olympia, Greece. Reuse of buildings will create massive profits, solving the Greek debt crisis!

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        • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday July 31 2015, @09:32PM

          by bob_super (1357) on Friday July 31 2015, @09:32PM (#216539)

          Sorry for the Athens facilities, but it has been decided that Beijing was it. Winter and summer.
          Proper government delivering on infrastructure and security, no major sponsor even dreaming of boycotting because of the massive domestic market, good reliable state banks for proper bribes...
          Looking forward, India, the US and Europe might get every fifth Olympiad. But only if Beijing allows it.

      • (Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Friday July 31 2015, @08:41PM

        by nitehawk214 (1304) on Friday July 31 2015, @08:41PM (#216525)

        I believe China already did that.

        --
        "Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
      • (Score: 2) by CirclesInSand on Friday July 31 2015, @09:46PM

        by CirclesInSand (2899) on Friday July 31 2015, @09:46PM (#216543)

        The only real competition in the Olympics is "how much money can we steal from poor tax payers". Seriously, if you built a city dedicated to sporting events, then how are you going to steal the pay check of the old lady bagging your groceries? I'm really not kidding.

        Cities bidding their (often nonexistent) treasuries on private gaming organizations is evil as fuck. To hell with the self proclaimed "Olympics".

    • (Score: 2) by morgauxo on Friday July 31 2015, @06:31PM

      by morgauxo (2082) on Friday July 31 2015, @06:31PM (#216459)

      It makes me wonder.. if the officials demand all that for themselves why wasn't clean water on their list? They should have 'demonstrated ability to provide safe place for athletes to compete' as #1 on the list!

      • (Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Friday July 31 2015, @08:43PM

        by nitehawk214 (1304) on Friday July 31 2015, @08:43PM (#216527)

        All the IOC cares about is money.

        --
        "Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by goodie on Friday July 31 2015, @06:37PM

      by goodie (1877) on Friday July 31 2015, @06:37PM (#216463) Journal

      And Beijing just won today actually. Funny thing is that Almaty is close to high, beautiful mountains, has actual winter olympic training facilities etc. In other words, it actually made more sense (to me at least, especially having been to Almaty several times). Don't get me wrong. That place is rampant with corruption and a host of other issues (pollution, poverty etc.). But I don't think that Beijing won because of the features they have for winter games hosting. I'm no expert in geography but where the heck will they host the ski events? Are they going to displace thousands and run truck after truck of snow? Make no sense to me.

      I'm just glad Oslo pulled out when they revealed those demands. The outrageous part is that none of the other candidates removed their candidacy and together demanded that the IOC be cleaned up before any further bidding would occur. one can only wish *sigh*.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Snotnose on Friday July 31 2015, @06:14PM

    by Snotnose (1623) on Friday July 31 2015, @06:14PM (#216441)

    I assume the folks in Rio can watch events live. I can imagine that, during commercial breaks, a good part of the population takes a bathroom break. Assuming it takes 10 minutes for the poo to go from toilet to ocean, I can see some "interesting" wave effects on the swimmers.

    --
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    • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday July 31 2015, @06:42PM

      by Phoenix666 (552) on Friday July 31 2015, @06:42PM (#216466) Journal

      A friend told me the story about how he went to Rio for Carnival because he thought it would be fun and he'd pick up a lot of girls dressed in those famously skimpy outfits. He left after a day and a half because there was no public sanitation and people covered every place in excrement.

      --
      Washington DC delenda est.
  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday July 31 2015, @06:43PM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Friday July 31 2015, @06:43PM (#216467) Journal

    Isn't Excreta one of the moons orbiting one of the larger planets? Let me think about that one . . . .

    • (Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Friday July 31 2015, @08:40PM

      by wonkey_monkey (279) on Friday July 31 2015, @08:40PM (#216524) Homepage

      Also lovely name for a baby girl.

      --
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    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 01 2015, @03:04AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 01 2015, @03:04AM (#216621)

      No, it's a planet about the same size as Neptune.

  • (Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Friday July 31 2015, @11:28PM

    Dr. Alberto Chebabo, who heads Rio's Infectious Diseases Society, said the raw sewage has led to "endemic" public health woes among Brazilians, primarily infectious diarrhea in children. By adolescence, he said, people in Rio have been so exposed to the viruses they build up antibodies. But foreign athletes and tourists won't have that protection.

      -----

    If they survive to sdolescence. What do you suppose Brasil's infant mortality rate is?

    The conclusion to "The Hot Zone" asserts "the human race is a trillion pounds of meat just waiting for a virus". Many infections reduce your resistance to other pathogens, enabling opportunistic infection. There are many viruses in that water, some take a while before they show symptoms, by then the foreigners have returned home.

    While they athletes know to take precautions most others will not, and the IOC and Brasilian government work hard to point out that water is tasty, cool and refreshing.

    Mom worked in public health; her office had a subscription to Morbity And Mortlaity Weekly Report, no doubt is is online now.

    It is important not just for public health staff but every physician to read that as it enables us to halt epidemic outbreaks before they reach critical mass.

    About a year ago Russia blocked the import of American pork due to a swine epidemic in the American midwest. I read just a brief mention of it in The Columbian; it was only news because America wasnt earning as much coin from pork bellies as is commonly the case.

    --
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