The diving pool in Rio has been through a lot this week. It was fine on Monday, shining upon the divers and spectators in a nice, clean, non-algae blue. The day after that, it started turning green, thanks to algae buildup caused by a lack of chlorine in the tanks. Eventually, the water polo pool adjacent to the diving pool started turning green as well, and on Friday, the diving pool had to be closed, where one diver was quoted as saying “the whole building smells like a fart.”
A Rio official on the green diving pool: ‘Chemistry is not an exact science’
Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images
You’d think Rio officials would get things together by now, and lord knows they’re trying (or lord knows, we hope they’re trying). Eventually, questions had to be asked of them regarding the green pools. Well, officials were asked about the pools on Friday, and even though they’re doing what they can to clean up the pool — like closing it — spokesman Mario Andrada’s reasoning for what’s taking so long is a little discomforting, per The Associated Press.
“Chemistry is not an exact science,” he said. “Some things, as you can see, went longer than expected.”
But ... it is. Chemistry is an exact science. By definition, everything that happens in chemistry has a quantifiable measurement. Knowing that it’s an exact science is actually necessary for making sure things are safe, like maintaining the chlorine levels in pools (or lack thereof, in this case). If Bill Nye heard that answer, he would flip a table.
Just ... what?
(h/t Jon Krawczynski/Twitter)
