Posted on 08/13/2016 8:02:17 PM PDT by PROCON
RIO DE JANEIRO — Olympics officials on Saturday gave what they said was a definitive explanation why the water in two competition pools turned green this week. Someone, the officials said, mistakenly added 160 liters of hydrogen peroxide on Aug. 5, neutralizing the chlorine and allowing the growth of “organic compounds” that might have included algae.
On Saturday, the water in the diving pool was still a murky bottle-green color, while the water in the second pool, used for water polo and synchronized swimming, had begun to look a bit lighter and a bit bluer. Athletes have been complaining that the water or the chemicals treating it hurt their eyes, and that murkiness makes underwater visibility impossible.
Synchronized swimming, in which athletes have to be able to see each other below the surface, is scheduled to start Sunday. Mario Andrada, a spokesman for the Rio Games, said that to ensure that the competition could go ahead, officials would drain the water from the pool — all 3,725,000 liters of it — and replace it with clean water from a nearby practice pool.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Sheesh, how many of us haven't made the same mistake in our bath tubs?
Anyone?
I want to say the Rio is a cesspool of human waste. I have never seen such sub human existence. Leave with all dispatch.
That water looks nasty.
Why would they have even had 160 liters of hydrogen peroxide in that area? Do it have some use in pool maintenance?
Ryan Lochte was unavailable for comment.
Well, I don’t like to admit it, but I do this every time I take a bath, so it’s yearly.
Put some chlorine in that pool.
But we’re out of chlorine. All we have is H2O2.
Just re-label it. I’m sure it wanted to be chlorine in the first place.
Also...I’d expect that somebody would be testing the water daily, during an event like this.
Pump it out, add new water.
Couple bags of shock bring it right back to life.
What’s the over/under on the post-Olympic cover up concerning serious ill athletes all across the GLOBE?
I’m betting the MINUTE the last race/trial is run, NBC will NEVER speak of this Olympics again!
I call BS on their explanation. Unless they are saying someone sold them peroxide instead of chlorine.
Like the Brazilian Olympic official said last night:
"We've found that Chemistry isn't an exact science."
Sounds like that’s what they’re going to do. Maybe they’re received an emergency supply of chlorine!!
I own a pool. I have, on occasion, been less than diligent in maintaining the chemical balance.
My pool has sometimes had an algae problem. It can get dark, and muddy, and cloudy, and green.
But my pool has never looked like lime jello.
That’s just weird.
I can’t ever recall using hydrogen peroxide in pool maintenance.
I had an inground pool for 16 years and did my own maintenance.
LOL...for that sized pool....more than just a couple of bags of shock.
I suppose the amount required for that mess would burn everyone’s eyes. Not good! Especially for the synchronized swimmers.
Same here. NEVER heard of hydrogen peroxide used in pool maintenance.
Makes no sense. H202 would not neutralize chlorine.
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