Some Olympic swimmers continue to fall ill after racing in the Seine , while others, crediting beloved free-world elixir Coca-Cola – coincidentally (or conveniently) the official sponsor for the Paris Olympics for staving off any pernicious infections that might otherwise have found their way into their gastrointestinal systems.
“We will often have a Coca-Cola afterwards just to try to flush out anything inside of us," Moesha Johnson, an Australian marathon swimmer, told The Wall Street Journal .
The categorical emblem of the free world has long been something of a down-home–if not exactly homeopathic–antidote for viruses and bacteria, but why? And does it really work?
“If you Google it, it says it can help,” New Zealand triathlete Ainsley Thorpe also told The Journal.
Well, that may be. But ask Google anything and somewhere down that crazy queue, you’re likely to find the very answer you seek. And while it would seem Coca-Cola does indeed bear some formidable antibacterial qualities–even according to the National Library of Medicine – it falls well short of a cure-all. We asked Surfrider for a little additional advice on how to cleanse yourself after a dirty-water dip.
Katie Day, Surfrider ’s Senior Manager of Science and Policy responsibly recommends simply knowing before going “by checking your local water quality before you head to the beach, and skip paddling out or jumping in if high bacteria levels are present. In the US you can find recent water quality results by your city or county here , and check Surfrider's volunteer water quality testing website for the beaches skipped by the often underfunded testing agencies.”
Where the surfing community writ large ought to remain vigilant, urban surfers are at higher risk for obvious reasons. Speaking from personal experience, it pays to heed warnings to steer clear of waterways for 72 hours after a rainfall, when all the fetid, stagnant runoff bristling in chocked river mouths and storm drains blows wide open before running out to sea.
On the other hand, sometimes it’s just too hard not to tempt our fate. “If you unknowingly recreated in contaminated water (or the waves were too good to skip),” Day adds knowing full-well the itinerant surfer’s M.O., “we recommend immediately rinsing in clean freshwater and washing your hands with soap and water. If you want to consider other approaches, check with your healthcare provider first.” A very centered, if diplomatic response if there ever were one.
Just know that you’re likely to find a lot of what the world’s top athletes found in the Seine this past week – E. Coli, yes, but also giardia, MRSA, hepatitis…the list goes on, probably along with more than a few yet-to-be-named culprits–and it could wreak every bit of havoc on you as it has the numerous Olympians this past week. Others fared just fine. Olympic-grade constitution or not, go ahead and have your Coca-Cola at the ready, but just be sure those waves are worth it.
Protect your local surf breaks and waterways by calling on Congress to support the BEACH Act and reauthorize the program to help fund beach-water monitoring and allow agencies to conduct pollution source tracking and stop pollution at the source.
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