Analyses of the water even before the games began showed that the water in Guanabara Bay, where the Olympic sailing events will be held, is so full of toxic waste that it is dangerous to swim in without special safety gear. Much of the waste in these waters is runoff from local factories, hospitals, and hotels, which line the Brazilian coast.
In addition to making the water hazardous for Olympic athletes and tarnishing Brazil's international image, this pollution has catastrophic effects on local aquatic life. Many sea creatures that live along the Brazilian coast are now endangered thanks to the poor condition of the water, such as the La Plata dolphin and the daggernose shark, the latter of which is virtually extinct.
Fortunately, the state of affairs in Brazil does appear to be turning heads and sparking discussion elsewhere. However, that discussion is usually only in the context of what can be done to solve the problem for the Olympics themselves. Often little attention is paid to the fact that the people who live in brazil are also affected by this pollution, let alone to its effects on native wildlife.
Ideally, the nation and city that hosts the Olympics would be required to do so in a sustainable, environmentally conscious manner. Unfortunately, as is often the case with events like the Olympics, education and sustainability take a backseat to public showmanship. It may be too late to do anything about what is happening in Rio in the 2016 Olympics, but perhaps we can hope for something better when the 2020 Olympics happen in Tokyo.
A discarded baby doll joins thousands of tons of garbage clogging the Guanabara Bay along the coast of Brazil. As Brazil's waters become more polluted, its native sea life is choked to death.
