France spent around 1.4 million euros to clean up the Seine, ahead of the Olympics. The once heavily polluted river was tested by the organizers of the premier sporting event for bacterial contamination before the triathlon events, declaring the waters to be within acceptable World Triathlon standards.
However, the Claire Michellea Belgian triathlete who competed last Wednesday, contracted the enterohemorrhagic bacteria E. coli and was hospitalized. While at the same time, a Swiss triathlon team was invited to replace him Adrienne Brifordwho was forced to withdraw due to illness and specifically, stomach disorders.
Following these developments, re-samples were taken from the Seine, which showed levels of bacteria exceeding these standards, leading to the cancellation of the marathon swimmers’ training.
Now questions are being raised about whether swimming in the Seine can make athletes sick. Of course, the two athletes had swam in the river, but the source of their illness has not been confirmed.
For this reason, the French authorities believe that the river should not be held responsible. “At the moment, there is no direct link between the Seine and any disease,” Pierre Rabandan, Paris’ deputy mayor in charge of the Olympics, told a news conference on Monday.
What do we know about the athletes who got sick?
OR Claire Michelle she received medical treatment at a clinic in the athletes’ village and then returned to her room. The athlete, it seems, was infected by the enterohemorrhagic bacteria E. coli. As a result, the Belgian triathlon team was forced to withdraw from the mixed relay.
THE Adrienne Briford developed a gastrointestinal infection, according to the Swiss team. Officials said it was “not possible to say whether the Briford infection is related to the quality of the Seine water.”
Why do people get sick after swimming in the open sea?
The main concern is exposure to E. coli bacteria. E. coli is a large and diverse group of bacteria found in the natural environment as well as in the intestines of humans and animals.
Infection with this bacterium occurs when a person ingests a small, often invisible, amount of animal or human feces.
“There’s all kinds of pollution in the water,” notes Martin Doyle, a professor of river science at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. The waters of rivers, lakes, and oceans are often contaminated with E. coli, as well as other bacteria through rain. “Excess water – also known as ‘runoff’ – from parking lots, gardens or even fields, can carry along with oil and tar, pieces of animal excrement. This is the biggest concern,” he claims.
“We live on a planet that’s covered in microbial matter,” notes Amesh Adalja, a senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and an infectious disease physician. “There are countless bacteria, even in a spoonful of water from the ocean,” he points out.
Bacteria are going to come into contact with our bodies, but in the “vast majority of cases they’re not going to cause a problem,” Adalja said.
Microorganisms in the water can come into contact with an open wound, even a scratch, and cause infection. At the same time, if someone swallows water, they could develop gastrointestinal diseases. While even with the possibility of water getting into a swimmer’s eyes, there is the possibility of contamination.
Of course, the risk always depends on the amount of bacteria in the water. “It’s not that important what’s in there. It’s the amount of what’s in there that determines it,” Adalja added.
What do athletes claim about swimming in the Seine?
On the one hand, AusTriathlon, the body that governs Australia’s Olympic team, has been using their athletes for a month now, prophylactic antibiotics, as well as skin, eye and ear washes to minimize the risk of infection.
On the other hand, USA Triathlon spokesman Stephen Mayers said no athletes have become ill. The US triathlon team won a hard-fought silver medal in the medley relay on Monday and is choosing to focus on winning the title rather than be deterred by concerns about possible illness.
“It’s the Olympics. We are here. We’re going to swim no matter what,” that’s more the feeling and thinking of the American team, as its spokesperson said.
Other cases
Belgian triathlete Jolien Vermeylen, who took 24th place, speaking to VTM, described what she saw and felt on the river.
“I drank a lot of water, so we’ll know tomorrow if I’m sick or not. Of course it doesn’t taste like Coca-Cola or Sprite. While swimming under the bridge I felt and saw things that we shouldn’t think too much about. The Seine has been dirty for a hundred years, so they can’t say that the safety of the athletes is a priority. That’s bullshit,” he said.
The athlete pointed out that she had to take precautions to be able to compete. “They just have to hope that there won’t be too many sick athletes. I took pro-biotics, nothing else I could do. I had the bright idea of not drinking water, but yeah, it failed. I tried not to fall, but that also failed.”
Men’s triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk of Canada vomited 10 times during the race, but it is unclear if this was due to the polluted waters of the Seine.
Why do bacteria levels fluctuate in open water?
Water quality, near urban centers, but also in agricultural areas, is affected by weather conditions.
Rainfall is a phenomenon that can lead to polluted runoff and increase bacteria levels in water. Accordingly, a long period of sunny days can reduce the risk because the sun’s ultraviolet rays kill these microorganisms.
At the same time, a surge of rainwater, or other storms, can cause an overload in a drainage system. Not only does runoff carry potential contaminants into water bodies, but municipalities may be forced to bypass sewer systems due to overflow, Doyle notes.
“U.S. cities have invested astronomical sums of money to build underground reservoirs to store excess water until their sewer systems can process it. The US and most industrialized countries have achieved an “amazing achievement” in cleaning up urban rivers,” he comments.
What did Paris do to improve the water quality of the Seine?
The river, Seine, has long been considered dangerous for swimming due to massive pollution. Despite weeks of low E. coli counts in its waters, a rainstorm over the weekend pushed the numbers back to unsafe levels.
A fact that caused the cancellation of two training sessions and the postponement of Tuesday’s men’s triathlon.
What are the symptoms of E. coli infection?
When infected with E. coli there is an incubation period of three to four days. However, it can be as short as one day, or as long as ten days.
Symptoms of E. coli can include diarrhea, excessive vomiting and dehydration, according to the CDC. Certain strains of the bacterium cause stomach cramps and bloody stools. There are cases when fever is noted.
Finally, serious cases have also been identified, which are fatal.
Can one swim safely in a river or lake?
Olympic athletes swimming in the Seine are doing something that is not recommended to the general public, according to Doyle. “Generally avoid swimming in urban rivers,” he emphasizes.
Most experts advise waiting at least 48 hours after a rain before swimming in a lake or river. “When you’re in the water, just recognize that you’re not alone. there are not only sharks, dolphins and whales. There are also excrement,” describes Adalja.
At the same time, he explained that “what happens in the Seine is no different from what happens in a local lake. The lake may be designated as suitable for boating but not for swimming, for example. It all comes down to risk tolerance.”
While Adalja concluded that “if coliform levels are above a certain threshold, you might not want to go in. Maybe stay in a canoe that day.’
It is recalled that the mayor of Paris also swam in the waters of the Seine, a few days after the river was cleaned, as a sign of the achievement of a difficult task she had undertaken.
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