Consuming the smallest amounts of water off the shores of Rio, Brazil, the site of the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympic Games, will be more than enough to make athletes sick, according to a study by The Associated Press.
Athletes who drink just two to three teaspoons of the water, at the current levels of bacteria, “are almost certain to be infected with viruses that can cause stomach and respiratory illnesses and more rarely heart and brain inflammation…”
This comes after a doctor recently spoke to the New York Times and said athletes “will literally be swimming in human crap” in Rio.
This is just one of several health and safety concerns surrounding the controversial Rio Olympics. Zika virus has garnered plenty of attention, and rightly so, but the low quality of the water might be an even larger hazard.
Olympic competition begins Wednesday even though the opening ceremony doesn’t actually occur until Friday, Aug. 5.
Thumbnail photo via Michael Madrid/USA TODAY Sports Images
