Remember the previous instalment of our ‘But we’re only human’ series, where we talked about the health impacts of air pollution on Olympic athletes? Today, we will be covering something similar for water pollution by drawing on two controversial case studies: the 2016 Rio and 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Games.
Gastrointestinal illnesses are most commonly observed amongst water sports athletes, which is unsurprising as disease-causing microorganisms can easily enter the human body through the eyes or mouth, and are highly resistant (Staggemeier et al., 2017). This is especially so for enteric viruses such as rotavirus and adenovirus, which are found in untreated human sewage and notorious for their stability in the gastrointestinal tract (Staggemeier et al., 2017). In a study conducted by Bosch et al. (2008), 105 to 1013 enteric virus particles were detected per gram of stool amongst infected persons, reflecting their infectiousness and ability to resist antibodies. Therefore, while enteric viruses normally do not result in acute infection or mortality (Weidner and Sevier, 1996), they remain a cause for concern as they can persist for long durations and “easily knock athlete[s] out of competition”.
Enteric viruses are responsible for causing gastrointestinal illnesses amongst athletes, as they are often found in water contaminated by untreated sewage (Bosch, Pintó and Abad, 2006)
In fact, enteric viruses came under the spotlight at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, where 13 American athletes fell ill with gastroenteritis-related symptoms including diarrhoea and vomiting after a test rowing event. According to the American team doctor, this could have occurred after water in the training venue dripped onto athletes’ water bottles, causing their drinking water to become contaminated. This was a sentiment shared by World Health Organisation officials, who classified Rio de Janeiro’s water quality as poor or very poor, and strongly urged local virologists to conduct testing for enteric viruses. While subsequent studies revealed that only 1% of competing athletes contracted gastroenteritis during the actual event (Soligard et al., 2017), the presence of infection nonetheless reflected that enteric viruses were a threat to human health.
Similarly, at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games, two Swiss skiers — and 199 staff — were reported to have contracted norovirus. This was particularly worrying as norovirus, like other enteric viruses, was highly contagious with an infection rate of 1.6 to 3.7. As outlined by Cherabuddi (2018), norovirus can rapidly make its way onto surfaces and food, although it originates from contaminated water sources. Coupled with the use of closed areas for communal dining (Cherabuddi, 2018), this facilitated rapid rates of norovirus infection, with infected persons similarly experiencing symptoms of intestinal inflammation and fever.
After two Swiss skiers fell ill with the highly contagious norovirus at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Games, officials quickly stepped up venue disinfection efforts (South China Morning Post, 2018)
Overall, it is evident that enteric viruses bring significant inconvenience, as they not only prevent Olympic athletes from performing their best, but are also difficult to guard against. This reinforces the importance of regulating point sources in a holistic manner, from improving household access to sewage treatment systems, to developing tools to monitor and optimise these management efforts (Eisenberg, Bartram and Wade, 2016). Only then can health risks associated with water pollution be minimised, without requiring additional resources for viral testing that potentially detract attention from routine monitoring and create a vicious cycle of worsening water pollution.
References
Bosch, A., Pintó, R.M., Abad, F.X. (2006). Survival and Transport of Enteric Viruses in the Environment. In S.M. Goyal (Ed.), Viruses in Foods (pp. 151-187). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-29251-9_6
Bosch, A., Guix, S., Sano, D., & Pinto, R. M. (2008). New tools for the study and direct surveillance of viral pathogens in water. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 19(3), 295-301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2008.04.006
Cherabuddi, K. (2018, February 20). Why is there a norovirus outbreak at the Winter Olympics? 4 questions answered. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/why-is-there-a-norovirus-outbreak-at-the-winter-olympics-4-questions-answered-91886
Eisenberg, J. N., Bartram, J., & Wade, T. J. (2016). The water quality in Rio highlights the global public health concern over untreated sewage. Environmental Health Perspectives, 124(10), 180-181. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP662
Soligard, T., Steffen, K., Palmer, D., Alonso, J. M., Bahr, R., Lopes, A. D., … & Engebretsen, L. (2017). Sports injury and illness incidence in the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic summer games: a prospective study of 11274 athletes from 207 countries. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 51(17), 1265-1271. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097956
South China Morning Post. (2018). Norovirus outbreak at Pyeongchang Winter Olympics has officials scrambling as local media frets [Online image]. South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2132404/norovirus-outbreak-pyeongchang-winter-olympics-has-officials
Staggemeier, R., Heck, T. M., Demoliner, M., Ritzel, R. G., Röhnelt, N. M., Girardi, V., … & Spilki, F. R. (2017). Enteric viruses and adenovirus diversity in waters from 2016 Olympic venues. Science of the Total Environment, 586, 304-312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.01.223
Weidner, T. G., & Sevier, T. L. (1996). Sport, exercise, and the common cold. Journal of athletic training, 31(2), 154-159. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1318446/pdf/jathtrain00018-0060.pdf
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