Georgetown University

Exploring the Application of Environmental Health Goals to the Olympic Games’ Process: Addressing Endemic and Urgent Needs in Brazil through

an Ethical Environmental Health Assessment Framework

A Concept Paper and Proposal

Prepared by:

Robin Go

rfg34@georgetown.edu

Candace Pallitto crp57@georgetown.edu

Nevin Snow

nhs23@georgetown.edu

Under the Supervision of

Professor Irene Anne Jillson, PhD

iaj@georgetown.edu

Abtract

Environmental health issues have recently become more prominent with the increasing amount of

discourse about climate change. Developed as an extension of a project for Dr. Irene Jillson’s Global

Health Ethics class, this paper uses the Olympic Games as a global platform to exemplify ethical

leadership in addressing the short­term and long­term environmental health issues created and

exacerbated by climate change. This paper proposes the creation of an Environmental Health Ethics

Review Committee (EHERC) into the Olympic Games candidature process in order to Furthermore, this

paper outlines an applicable ethical framework and method to address environmental health issues within

future host countries.

Project Rationale, Goal, and Specific Objectives

The Ebola outbreak that unfolded in West Africa and the historic conclusion of the Sustainable

Innovation Forum in Paris last year both showcased the complex challenges of mobilizing the relevant

international actors to find proper solutions to pressing global health problems. They also highlighted the

need to include environmental health factors in how the private sector, governments, and multi­lateral

organizations analyze risk in order to accurately foresee and properly manage the challenges ahead. The

recent outbreak of the Zika virus in Brazil and beyond, with the particular implications for planning for

and holding the 2016 Olympic games, renders urgent the need to address environmental health factors.

This concept paper seeks to both contribute to the discourse regarding environmental health and

the Olympic Games ­­ by describing and analyzing the Olympic Games’ capacity to showcase ethical

leadership by contributing to the mass reorientation of regional, national, and international focus to

environmental health risks – and to address the immediate and urgent needs related to the Zika virus. In

this concept paper, we propose an ethical environmental health assessment and framework for use in

conjunction with the Olympic Games and the International Olympic Committee. The focus will be

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primarily on the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. However, we will provide a

broad ethical framework that can and should be implemented in future Olympic Games.

The importance of the Olympic Games with respect to diplomacy and athletics should not cloud

the fact that the events themselves are massive in scale and impact, including impact on environmental

health. The opportunity that the Games presents for future hosts to rally support around environmental

health is unparalleled because of the attention that an Olympic Games already receives from a host

country. Therefore it is paramount for us to build on the already existing nature of sustainability in the

Olympics, with a level of environmental health that ensures protection of citizens, athletes and fans alike.

While the success of London 2012’s sustainability drive can be an inspiration, the poor working

conditions and mismanagement in Sochi 2014 and the inevitable pollution in Brazil 2016 should be the

force to push this environmental health framework. 1

The proposed project will describe Brazil’s current health environment and what health pillars

already exist. Based on this knowledge, an ethical health assessment of the Olympic Games will be

created based on current environmental assessments. Long­term and short­term goals are then formulated

for Brazil in anticipation of the Olympic Games, and environmental health post­Olympic Games. The

culmination of this proposed project is the applicability of this ethical environmental framework with

respect to future Olympic host countries. The overall goal of this proposal is to promote international

ethical leadership in the field of environmental health. In order to achieve this, this paper proposes the

inclusion of environmental health considerations in the Olympic candidature process and the creation of

an Olympic environmental health sub­committee.

The timeframe for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil will be from the present to approximately 2018.

The proposed timeframe for an optimal Olympic Games environmental health assessment will be seven

years in order to gather enough research pre­ and post­Olympics.

1 "Factsheet." The Environment and Sustainable Development (2014): www.olympic.org. International Olympic Committee, Jan. 2014. Web. Dec. 2015.

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Background and Significance

The Olympic Games is the world’s biggest competitive sports event. With the recent 2012 London Games

having reached over 3.6 billion people in 220 countries, the Olympics arouses world­wide attention and

can impact the host city and country in a way that can go far beyond the sports field. 2

Candidate countries go through an extensive and rigorous process in order to get a chance to

experience the international spotlight and possible economic windfall of hosting the Olympic Games.

After paying the $150,00 application fee, a candidate country should expect preparing 10 years before the

actual Games, with the candidature process taking a period of three years and the election of the host

country taking place seven years before. Shown in Figure 1, the candidature process has three linked 3

phases: Stage 1: Strategic Vision, Stage 2: Governance, Legal, Venue Funding, Stage 3: Games

Delivery, Experience, and Venue Legacy.

2 London 2012 Global Broadcast Report. Rep. N.p.: Sponsorship Intelligence, n.d. Print. 3 "IOC ­ International Olympic Committee." All about the Candidature Process. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.

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Figure 1. Olympic candidature process

In each candidature stage, an Evaluation Commission currently is tasked to analyze the Cities’

Candidature File Submissions, assess the feasibility of the proposed plans, and determine if the country’s

vision and implementation will leave a positive legacy for the country and for the Olympic brand. For 4

each application, the IOC commissions ensure that the needed national support, financial mechanisms,

and delivery strategy exist and are conducive to the proper hosting of the Olympic games.

With the London 2012 Olympics, there has been a recent emphasis in the serious consideration

and integration of “sustainability” and “legacy” in the Olympic process. This can be seen in the IOC’s 5

4 "IOC ­ International Olympic Committee." All about the Candidature Process. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2015. 5 "London 2012's Sustainability Legacy Lives on." London 2012's Sustainability Legacy Lives on. N.p., 31 July 2013. Web.

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vested interest in evaluating the alignment of the country’s Olympic Games development plans with their

long­term development impact goals. Currently, the mission of the IOC commissions are currently being

revised, and this paper finds that this is an opportune time to propose an inclusion of an environmental

health assessment within the candidature process.

Brazil’s Current Health Environment

“Environmental health” is defined as “...physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person,

and all the related factors impacting behaviors.” Presently, Brazil’s main environmental health threats 6

are air pollution and waste disposal. Both of these threats have arisen from rapid urbanization and lack of

structure and planning. Pollution production was not a priority when the major cities of Brazil

industrialized and expanded. Similar is the waste disposal problem. As populations boomed, landfills

became overfilled and toxic to public health in all major Brazilian metropolitan areas. Two­thirds of all

waste in Brazil is disposed via landfill. This problem will only be exacerbated by the extensive 7

construction projects that are demanded by the Olympic Games. 8

More recently, Brazil is the hardest hit of more than 20 countries in Latin America that have

reported cases of Zika infections. Since October 2015, 4,000 reported cases of microcephaly have been 9

reported in Brazil alone. It is strongly linked to microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities, 10

which makes the estimated 400,000 pregnant Brazilian women most susceptible. The Zika virus 11

6 http://www.who.int/topics/environmental_health/en/ 7 "Turning Point: Environmental Health in Brazil." Environmental Health Perspectives 108.11 (2000): 504­11. Print. 8 Zolfagharian, S., Nourbakhsh, M., Irizarry, J., Ressang, A., & Gheisari, M. (2012). Environmental impacts assessment on construction sites. In Construction Research Congress (Vol. 2012, pp. 1750­1759). 9 Roberts, Michelle. "Zika­linked Condition: WHO Declares Global Emergency ­ BBC News." BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2016. 10 Ibid. 11 Barchfield, Jenny. "For Brazil's Rich and Poor, Disparate Response to Zika." The Big Story. N.p., 31 Jan. 2016. Web. 02 Feb. 2016.

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transmitted from person to person from Aedes mosquitoes and, as of January 2016, no vaccination

currently exists 12

The rapid expansion of Brazil’s economy from 2003­2013 has brought even more challenges,

such as deforestation and other sensitive biomes. However, their heightened economic status has lead

Brazil to a position of prominence in the push for environmentally sustainable societies. They have

pledged to reduce greenhouse gas by nearly 40% by 2020, and with other environmental health initiatives,

Brazil is proving its commitment to environmental health and the health of its population. 13

This commitment is evidenced in the Rural Rio Program, a recently expanded initiative that

strives for the sustainability of low­income rural farming communities. In the past, these communities

may have deteriorated into poor, sickly slums, but with the help of the Rural Rio Program and similar

initiatives, Brazil has set health and sustainability as a priority. 14

Environmental Health Impact Assessment in the Olympics

The direct impact of the Olympic Games can be linked to the heavy construction demands of hosting the

event. Brazil has planned to build more than 50 buildings in a sprawling 44­acre space in the urban Barra

da Tijuca neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, with an entire transportation system of bridges, trams, and bus

lanes. Huge construction projects like the one described in Brazil is typical for Olympic hosts and have 15

direct environmental impacts that range from noise pollution to the generation of inert waste 16

12 Boadle, Anthony. "Exclusive: Brazil Says Zika Virus Outbreak Worse than Believed." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 02 Feb. 2016. Web. 02 Feb. 2016. 13 "Brazil Overview." The World Bank: Countries. The World Bank, Web. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldbank.org%2Fen%2Fcountry%2Fbrazil%2Foverview>. 14 Grosclaude, Marianne. "Projects & Operations." Projects : Rio De Janeiro Sustainable Rural Development Project | The World Bank. The World Bank, 6 Nov. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2015. 15 Roper, Matt. "Brazil Faces the Biggest Race in Olympic History to Be Ready for Rio in 2016 ." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 22 June 2015. Web. 16 Zolfagharian, S., Nourbakhsh, M., Irizarry, J., Ressang, A., & Gheisari, M. (2012). Environmental impacts assessment on construction sites. In Construction Research Congress (Vol. 2012, pp. 1750­1759).

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Additionally, there will be a sudden influx of foreign visitors in a concentrated space that will

undoubtedly complicate Brazil’s management of their current Zika virus outbreak. Brazil expects over

15,000 athletes, 45,000 volunteers, 93,000 staff and 380,000 visitors to attend the Summer Olympics and

the following Paralympics. With several studies speculating that this specific strain of the Zika virus was 17

transmitted during the 2014 World Cup or the 2014 Va’a World Sprint Championship, which were both

held in Brazil, there is a real fear that the hosting of the 2016 Olympics will facilitate international

transmission of the disease as the expected guests return to their respective countries after the Olympic

Games. 18

This concept paper proposes the consideration of the environmental health impact to the Olympic

host city and country through the inclusion of an environmental health assessment. Due to its complexity

and historic lack of attention, there currently is no institutionalized consideration of environmental health

risks before, during, and after the Olympic Games. An environmental health impact assessment can be 19

conceived as a process that addresses a planning or policy development, predicts population health with

and without the development, consults public opinion and proposes beneficial action. Currently, no

institutionalized mechanism has been established to survey, analyze, and critique the short­term and

long­term environmental health impact of a scientific system has yet been established to assess and

evaluate the impact of a mass event such as an Olympic Games on the health and well­being of the host

population. Absence of previous assessment is partly attributable to the complex effects of non­health

interventions on health.

17 Watts, Jonathan. "Rio 2016: 'The Olympics Has Destroyed My Home'" The Guardian. N.p., 19 July 2015. Web. 18 Zanluca, C., Melo, V. C. A. D., Mosimann, A. L. P., Santos, G. I. V. D., Santos, C. N. D. D., & Luz, K. (2015). First report of autochthonous transmission of Zika virus in Brazil. Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz,110(4), 569­572. 19 Ljungqvist, A., & Troedsson, H. (Eds.). (2010). The health legacy of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games: successes and recommendations. World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Western Pacific.

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Ethical Framework

The method by which the Olympic Games are organized and executed, combined with their goal of

contributing “to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without

discrimination of any kind,” places the Olympics in a fortuitous position to exemplify proper values of

leadership. The IOC takes pride in pioneering a path toward unifying the world by teaching youth the 20

importance of acceptance, persistence, and healthy competition. While the Olympic Games may not

purposefully strive for it, they have shown the capacity to exemplify ethical leadership.

Therefore, this concept paper uses the framework of “ethical leadership” as a guiding value.

Defined by Brown as “demonstrating normatively accepted behavior through personal action and

interpersonal relationships,” ethical leadership is required in order to shift current mental modes of

thinking that has led the world to this precarious environmental situation. It takes a certain amount of 21

foresight and discipline to acknowledge the short­term financial benefits of a certain initiative and but act

on the knowledge that it will have possible long­term negative impacts to the land and to its people. This

paper proposes that this type of reflective and sustainable way of decision­making be institutionalized

within the IOC.

As has been stated in class, the biggest challenge in transformative leadership is finding key

values and creating a social structure to embody these values. The social structure has already been 22

created and can easily be found within the Olympic Games. The Olympics engages people from around

the world to participate in the Olympics either as a spectator, athlete, coach, or other position. The

Olympics has the opportunity to impact positive change in the world due to their ability to unite people

with diverse backgrounds and motivations. Furthermore, the second of the seven “Principles of

Olympism” is “...to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view

20 "Olympic Charter". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 7 November 2015. 21 Brown, M. E., & Treviño, L. K. (2006). Ethical leadership: A review and future directions. The leadership quarterly, 17(6), 595­616. 22 Jillson, Irene. "Ethical Leadership and Health Worker Migration." Georgetown University. 19 Nov. 2015. Lecture.

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to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.” Therefore, within 23

the context of climate change, establishing a committee like EHERC would be consistent with the

Olympic Games values and goals as well as an opportunity to perform an act that directly displays and

teaches ethical leadership in a global stage.

Project Design and Methods

In the wake of institutional reform within the IOC, this paper proposes the addition of an Environmental

Health Ethics Review Committee (EHERC) to the Olympic Process. EHERC will function as one of the

Evaluation Commissions and would be comprised of at least one public health official, ethicist, scientist,

epidemiologist, and engineer per region. The regions can be defined as the United States/Canada, Latin

America/Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia/New Zealand. The

number of representatives from each country in a specific field should not exceed two. EHERC would be

responsible for identifying environmental health needs throughout the country, particularly focusing on

water quality, sanitation/hygiene, and air quality. The committee would then develop possible solutions

and strategies for alleviating these problems throughout the country. Once a host country is chosen, an

EHERC representative from said country will be added to the commission in order to facilitate

communication between the two parties.

Identifying the Problems

During the candidature process, EHERC will analyze available data compiled from previous assessments

performed by the World Health Organization, USAID, and the World Bank. This available data offers a

23 "Olympic Charter". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 7 November 2015.

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good starting point since it pre­defines various indicators. This available data will provide EHERC with a

basic understanding of the severity of environmental health issues within the host country. Once the major

issues are identified, further field research should be developed concerning the scope of the environmental

health issue within the country. For instance, identifying regions, if any, within the country that are most

in needed of environmental health improvements. After the data and findings are compiled, EHERC will

develop possible recommendations for synergizing the candidate’s short­term and long­term health goals

with the the goals of hosting the Olympic Games. This part of the process will take about two to three

years.

EHERC will begin to conduct a more thorough needs assessment when the host city is chosen for

the Olympic Games, which is seven years prior to the event. Partially funded by IOC and the host

country, EHERC will task and deploy a team to conduct field research in order to further evaluate the

current health environment of the host country and possible positive and negative environmental health

impacts of hosting the Olympic Games. This team will conduct research in the host country before,

during, and after the Olympic Games. Midwifed by the 2008 Beijing Olympics that spotlighted the

intersection between the environment and the Games, the World Health Organization’s Western Pacific

Region drafted the “Health Legacy of the 2008 Olympic Games” that provides a three­tier indicator

system (Figure 2) that the EHERC system can adopt and modify. 24

24 Ljungqvist, A., & Troedsson, H. (Eds.). (2010). The health legacy of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games: successes and recommendations. World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Western Pacific.

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Figure 2. Three­tier indicator system for Environmental Health Assessment

Proposing a Strategy

After the pre­Games needs assessment is performed, which should be four years prior to the Olympics,

EHERC will present their findings to the IOC with a potential strategy for implementation. EHERC will

identify the prominent environmental health issues within the host country as well as the regions where

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those issues exist. For example, if proper sanitation is a problem that expands a few areas of Brazil,

EHERC could suggest that IOC advocate and educate the population about the benefits of good hygiene

and techniques, such as hand­washing.

Role of IOC

The strategy presented by EHERC to IOC does not have to be accepted by the IOC. Its purpose is to make

the IOC and other authorities aware of present issues. More importantly, EHERC would explain the

ethical importance for why these environmental health issues should be considered in the scope of the

impact of the Olympic Games. The IOC will decide if the strategy presented by EHERC is feasible,

valuable, and compatible with their goals for the Olympic Games legacy within the host country.

Evaluation

If the IOC chooses to pursue the strategy presented by EHERC for environmental health improvement

within a host country, an assessment of the implementation of the chosen strategy will be performed after

the Olympic Games have completed. The country’s Ministry or Department of Health will perform these

assessments. The capacity to perform such an assessment will be discussed and analyzed during the

candidacy process. A country’s capacity and willingness to perform such assessments will be considered

during the candidacy process. The post­Olympic evaluation of implementation cannot logistically be

mandated; however, it will be strongly encouraged by EHERC. EHERC will work with a country’s

Ministry of Health to devise a feasible and effective assessment. These should be completed of how this

indicator system will be implemented is shown below (Table 1).

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Sample Goals and Indicators

Goal/Aim Measure Source of data Data collection

method(s)

Consideration of

Environmental

Health Risks in

Candidature Process

Health­related

service capacity Regional and

national regulations.

Public investment

on environmental

protection

Governmental

reports

Environmental

Health Impact

Assessment ­ During

Olympic Games

Waste disposal Measurement of

pollutant discharge

and disposal

practices of the host

country

EHERC/Host Country

collaboration (Host

Country led)

Environmental

Health Impact

Assessment ­ After

Olympic Games

Atmosphere quality Measurement of air

pollutant emission

concentration

EHERC/Host Country

collaboration (EHERC

led)

Table 1.

Brazil 2016: The Preliminary EHERC

The upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016 presents the first opportunity to

determine the potential impact of EHERC as part of the IOC. Since the Rio 2016 games are scheduled to

occur in less than a year, it will not be feasible to undergo the process that has been outlined. However,

Rio 2016 will provide a platform to present the formation of EHERC and gauge the level of interest that

countries have in participating.

For the Rio 2016 games, a preliminary EHERC should be established. This preliminary committee will

invite prominent public health officials, ethicists, scientists, epidemiologists, and engineers from any

region can be invited to partake in the preliminary EHERC committee. Preliminary EHERC will not have

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a limit to the amount of people who wish to be involved as this will allow for anyone who is adequately

trained and interested to learn about the purpose of EHERC. Therefore, the purpose of preliminary

EHERC is to act as an effective forum in order to gain widespread understanding and support of EHERC.

Identifying Environmental Health Issues: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2016

Identifying the environmental health issues for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro has essentially

already occurred. While Brazil has a variety of environmental health issues, the problems related to water

contamination and waste management are some of the most prominent and relevant issues to the Olympic

Games. Various bodies of water in Brazil are highly contaminated with refuse and sewage, including the

Marina de Gloria and Guanabara Bay where the aquatic Olympic events are expected to occur. 25 26

In 2014, the Rio de Janeiro State Government announced an initiative to clean the bodies of water

where the Olympic Games will be held. They proposed plans to install a containment belt that would

prevent waste from flowing into Guanabara Bay as well as performing bacterial treatments. However, a 27

year after this proposed plan, little has been done to improve the quality of these bodies of water. The

Brazilian government claims that tests identifying contaminating agents have indicated that the waters are

safe and suitable for contact; however, the results of these tests have been declared confidential and not

able to be shared with anyone outside of the IOC, including the Olympic athletes whose health is at risk. 28

A year later in 2015, the Associated Press commissioned tests of the waters in Guanabara Bay

and the Marina da Gloria. These tests were analyzed by United States and Brazilian scientists and were

commissioned independently from the IOC. Nevertheless, the results from these tests indicate that the

water quality poses a significant risk to those who come into contact with it. This is evident by the high

25 Brazil Environmental Health Issues, Brazil.org. 26Rodrigues, M.T., Henzel, A., et. al., (2015). Humen adenovirus spread, rainfalls, and the occurrence of gastroenteritis cases in Brazilian basin. NCBI 187(11). 27 New Project to clean up Rio 2016 sailing venue announced by government (2014). Rio 2016: News. 28 Brooks, B., & Barchfeild, J., (30 Jul. 2015). AP Investigation: Olympic teams to swim, boat in Rio’s filth. Associated Press.

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levels of fecal coliform bacteria that were found. In addition, these results have been further supported 29

by the number of athletes who have developed gastrointestinal problems or bacterial infections after

contact with the water. The high levels of fecal coliform bacteria as well as the presence of large amounts

of other bacteria and viruses indicate the detrimental environmental health impact of Brazil’s untreated

sewage and improper waste management.

Environmental Health and the Zika Virus in Brazil It is imperative that environmental health issues are addressed in order to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and to protect human health. The spread of the Zika virus to more than 20 countries in the Americas, including Brazil, demonstrates the importance for improving environmental conditions, such as proper waste and water management in Brazil. The Zika virus is generally transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes and the symptoms include mild fever, skin rash, and conjunctivitis. However, researchers are exploring a likely link between Zika 30

virus infection and microcephaly, a disorder where a baby’s head is much smaller than expected, which results in developmental disabilities. Scientists suggest that babies can be 31

born with microcephaly if the mother is infected with Zika virus while pregnant. Brazil in particular has had one of the most notable increases in babies born with microcephaly. Since Zika virus is spread by a mosquito vector, there is a direct relationship 32

between the environment and human health. Aedes mosquitoes breed in almost any type stagnant water found indoors and outdoors. Traditional methods of mosquito vector control include pesticides and bed nets. While pesticides are being applied in areas of Brazil where these mosquitoes breed, bed nets are a relatively ineffective methods because aedes mosquitoes tend to bite during the day. 33

Water pollution and waste management are one of Brazil’s greatest environmental health problems. The breeding the aedes mosquitoes and spreading of the Zika virus are closely connected to these environmental health issues. Therefore, the Zika virus can act as an impetus and example as to why these problems need to be addressed. The transmission of the virus and, in turn, possibly reducing the amount of cases of microcephaly can be reduced with vector control of the aedes mosquito. Proper waste and water management would significantly reduce the presence of favorable breeding grounds for mosquitoes. While these 34

efforts may not solve the problem of the rise in Zika virus cases, it is possible that Zika virus transmission can be reduced with the these environmental health improvements and other initiatives. Similarly, improving water drainage in urban areas, proper waste management, and decontamination of bodies of water could prevent or reduce the transmission of other mosquito­transmitted diseases, like malaria and dengue fever.

29 Brooks, B., & Barchfeild, J., AP Investigation: Olympic teams to swim, boat in Rio’s filth. 30 “Zika Virus,” World Health Organization. 31 “Facts about Microencephaly,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 32 “Zika Virus Infection in the Americas,” Public Health Agency of Canada. 33 “Know the Potential Breeding Sites,” National Environment Agency. 34 Dhang, P. (ed.), Urban Pest Management: An Environment Perspective, 23.

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Recommendations for Immediate Action

Currently, the Brazilian government’s main effort to address the spread of Zika virus throughout the country is educating the public about the risk of Zika virus. They have deployed over 200,000 soldiers to go door­to­door explaining how the virus is transmitted and the possible consequences of contracting it. While it is important to educate the public, 35

this will not greatly reduce the transmission of the virus. The first course of action should be reducing the amount of breeding grounds for these mosquitoes that transmit the disease. This directly correlates with the water and sewage management issues that have been discussed in this proposal. Improper water and sewage drainage is most prevalent in the Brazilian slums or “favelas.” These areas contain “open­air” sewers that are often clogged with trash, which allows for the collection of stagnant water. These spots of stagnant water are ideal breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquitoes. Furthermore, people in these areas have experienced a larger burden of Zika virus and cases of microcephaly. Therefore, improving the water and sewage drainage systems in these areas should be the first priority in order to improve the overall environmental and human health in the area. These efforts should then be expanded to other highly affected areas with similar problems. Furthermore, pesticides could be used in congruence with, but not instead of, improving the water drainage systems. The use of pesticides alone is not a recommended course of action due to the lack of sustainability that it offers. Repairing the water management systems would reduce the transmission of water­borne and mosquito­transmitted diseases. The combination of improving infrastructure, educating the public, and applying pesticides would generate the greatest opportunity to reduce the transmission of Zika virus.

The Role of Preliminary EHERC: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2016

The contaminated waters in Brazil present a significant environmental health issue that can be resolved.

The immediate establishment of the preliminary EHERC could facilitate the enhancement of the efforts

that the Rio de Janeiro State Government has attempted to implement through global partnerships and

ethical leadership. As a result, a project could be developed that not only has a sustainable impact on the

Brazilian people’s environmental health, but also positively contribute to the Olympic legacy in Brazil.

Using the components of ethical leadership as a method of communication and guidance for working with

the Brazilian government, EHERC could influence and mobilize the initiatives for decontamination

presented by the Rio de Janeiro State Government in 2014. Specifically, EHERC could work with them to

encourage transparency about Brazil’s available resources, current fundings, ultimate goals, and priorities

35 “Zika virus: Brazil soldiers deployed to warn of risks,” BBC News.

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related to the project. Through applying ethical leadership skills, it would be expected that an effective

project may be able to be implemented before the Olympics and international relations between Brazil

and the countries whose experts would like to be the most involved.

Figure 3. Risk of Zika virus transmission in Brazil 36

Furthermore, although it may not be possible to completely decontaminate the waters for the

Olympic Games within the next six months, EHERC could work with the Brazilian government to

develop a plan to address issue of contaminated waters throughout the country as the problem of improper

sewage disposal and contaminated waters are widespread in Brazil. For instance, emphasis could be 37

36 "The Spread of Zika Virus." The Economist. N.p., 26 Jan. 2016. Web., Edited by Robin Go 37 Rodrigues, M.T., Henzel, A., et. al., (2015). Humen adenovirus spread, rainfalls, and the occurrence of gastroenteritis cases in Brazilian basin. NCBI 187(11).

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placed on establishing sewage treatment mechanisms, particularly in urban areas, enhancing sewage and

waste management systems, decontaminating bodies of water that are current threats to human health, and

improving surveillance of the effects of sanitation on public health. EHERC could work with the IOC and

the Brazilian government to allocate funding for such projects as well as act as a body that can hold the

Brazilian government accountable for completing these projects. Expected results of the post­Olympic

collaboration between EHERC and Brazil would generate evidence about the effectiveness and

importance of ethical leadership while also improving the health of thousands of people.

Conclusion

The Olympic Games is a global and highly recognized event that provides the International Olympic

Committee with the opportunity to become a global example in ethical leadership. The Olympic Games

have the resources and support necessary to educate the world on how to establish a set of values and lead

and inspire change by acting according to those values. Furthermore, environmental health issues exist

everywhere and affect diverse populations; therefore, addressing these issues allows the Olympics to

demonstrate ethical leadership and Olympism to the world in order “to create a way of life based on the

joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical

principles” by improving thousands of lives through the promotion of environmental health. 38

38Olympism in Action. (2015). Olympic.org

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