The Seine River Has Unsafe Levels of E.Coli Before The Olympic Games. What Happens Next?
The Summer Olympics includes marathon swimming and triathlon competitions that will take place in Paris’ iconic Seine River.
However, recent testing found that the Seine is contaminated with unsafe levels of E.coli.
The bacteria is 10 times over the acceptable limits, per CBS News.
The Summer Olympics is packed with indoor and outdoor events, including marathon swimming and triathlon competitions that will take place in Paris’ iconic Seine River. But recent testing found that the Seine is contaminated with unsafe levels of E.coli.
The Seine has tested positive for unsafe levels of E.coli for the third straight week. It’s not just a little over—it’s 10 times over the acceptable limits, per CBS News. And that’s concerning, given that water is bound to get in athletes’ noses, eyes, and mouths.
Test results from Eau de Paris, a monitoring group, found that contamination levels have been consistently above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters (which was determined by the World Triathlon Federation for competitions).
And time is running out: Events are scheduled to take place in the river starting at the end of this month.
According to the Associated Press, the problem has been made worse by constant rainfall in Paris. That's because rain water gets into the sewer system and ends up discharging the bacteria—which comes from poop—into the Seine. Flooding from the Yonne River has also made the problem worse.
In case you’re not familiar with it, E.coli is bacteria found in many places like the intestines of people and animals, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). When you come into contact with contaminated water, you can develop diarrhea, UTIs, pneumonia, and even sepsis, according to the CDC.
Paratriathlete Hailey Danz recently told Women’s Health that dealing with pollution is part of the sport.
“I'm preparing absolutely for there to be a swim and for everything to kind of just go as normal, but at the same time, you kind of have to be prepared for every possibility,” she says. “We have been in races before—the Paris test event was one where we woke up that morning and they were like, ‘Sorry guys, no swim.’ And you very quickly have to pivot.”
But officials told the AP that they expect everything to be ready to go by the Olympics.
“By the second half of July, things should settle down,” Tony Estanguet, head of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, said.
Here's hoping...
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