Rio's water is vile-full of raw sewage and dead bodies-and later this week, humanity's top athletes will plunge into this hellish stew for a jolly ol' global sporting competition.
The Rio organising committee says athletes will also get daily updates on water quality ahead of events.
If you've been following the build up to the summer games, you've read the articles, seen the pictures and know all about how bad the water is in Rio.
Hundreds of Olympic athletes will go for gold in polluted venues like Guanabara Bay and Lagoa Stadium; a concept Moscatelli and his colleagues literally can not stomach. The samples from the two beaches revealed high levels of viruses and recent studies have said that babies and small children could be affected the most by swimming in these waters.
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| Expert to Rio athletes: 'Don't put your head under water' |
The chief spokesman for the Rio Olympics told The Associated Press on Monday that Olympic athletes can rest assured they will be safe in the city's waters.
She said athletes must work with medical teams to minimize exposure as much as possible by showering immediately after leaving the water, covering any cuts and abrasions and preventing any ingestion or inhalation of water. "So the health of the athletes is our first priority".
Adenoviruses: a broad class of viruses that causes common afflictions such as colds and diarrhea, but also more menacing diseases like pneumonia and bronchitis. Bacterial tests are the worldwide standard because they're cheap and easy.
However, the accuracy of bacterial testing is up for debate, with a growing consensus believing that such tests are not suitable to all climates.
That disparity was borne out in the AP's testing. By this June, adenovirus readings were lower but still hair-raising at 248 million adenoviruses per litre.
Very high levels of adenoviruses (37 million per liter) were also detected at the Gloria Marina, where the sailing races will start off. With those levels of pollution, if athletes swallow just three teaspoons of water, they're nearly certainly going to be infected with the viruses, according tothe AP.
Biologist Mario Moscatelli paints a grim portrait of Rio's water ways and in a matter of days, we'll find out if he's an expressionist or a realist.
'A lot of attention has been paid to Rio's water pollution, but far more people die because of air pollution than the water'.
Viewed from above, rivers are tar-black; the lagoons near the Olympic Park bloom with fluorescent green algae; surfers paddle amid a giant brown stain that contrasts with the azure of the surrounding waters.
Even local authorities - including Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes - have recognized the city's failure to clean up its waterways, calling it a "lost chance" and a "shame".
