'Super bacteria' discovered in Rio's waters as Olympics near
Despite health concerns and it being only a month until the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games, neither Picao nor international Olympic authorities recommend moving the sailing venue |
According to lead researcher Renata Picao, the "super bacteria" entered the city's waterways when sewage coming from local hospitals got channeled into the bay.
"We have been looking for 'super bacteria' in coastal waters during a one-year period in five beaches," Picao told CNN during a visit to her lab. "We found that the threats occur in coastal waters in a variety of concentrations and that they are strongly associated with pollution."
The news comes as Rio prepares to host hundreds of thousands of athletes and tourists during next month's Summer Olympics.
Among the beaches flagged were Flamengo and Botafogo, which border the bay where Olympic sailors are scheduled to compete.
"It's a nice sailing area but every time you get some water in your face, it feels like there's some alien enemy entering your face," German Paralympic sailor Heiko Kroger said during a recent visit to Rio. "I keep my nose and my lips closed."
Kroger believes the super bacteria may have caused a severe skin infection in one of his teammates during recent training.
@gidabudays
@gidabudays
Comments
Post a Comment