Summer is Here & so is Legionella

There was a story in the paper the other day about a nursing home that had been fined for causing a legionella outbreak. So I did a little research and I found some fascinating facts but mostly I realized that Legionella is avoidable and that there are an army of people working every day to test water of all types and it is not limited to old buildings it can effect Senior centers, hospitals, offices, hotels, athletic facilities, restaurants, grocery stores, food processing and any place that airborne water droplets exist. Every state has some rule, but some states stand out, New York seems to be the most aggressive about eradicating legionaries disease. Anyone with a weakened immune system is the most at risk, smokers people over 50 and people with a respiratory issues.

What motivated me to think about this: story about the nursing home & the reminder that the entire staff of the NYC fire department was dispatched 3 summer ago to help clean water towers because an epidemic was breaking out across the city.

What is Legionella: Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia — lung inflammation usually caused by infection. Legionnaires' disease is caused by a bacterium known as legionella.You can't catch legionnaires' disease from person-to-person contact. Instead, most people get legionnaires' disease from inhaling the bacteria. Older adults, smokers and people with weakened immune systems are particularly susceptible to legionnaires' disease.

How Likely are you to Contract it: An estimated 8,000–18,000 persons are hospitalized for legionellosis each year in the United States; ≈5% - 30% of case-patients die. During the 2000s, cases of legio- nellosis in the United States reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention increased 279%, from 1,110 in 2000 to 4,202 in 2011. During the same period, the national incidence of legionellosis increased 249%, from 0.39 per 100,000 persons in 2000 to 1.36 per 100,000 persons in 2011. And these are the documented case. (Taken from report: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/20/11/pdfs/13-1872.pdf)

Among the 18,392 cases (82%) reported to NNDSS with available information on race, 78% were white, 19% were black, and 3% were American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, or other (Table 2).** Cases tended to occur in the summer and early fall, with the June--October period accounting for 62% of the cases reported each year.

It is somewhat avoidable but you have probably already been around it - Legionella is so common in the environment that most people have probably been exposed to it in the past and not become ill. Also no need to worry about drinking public water or a private well, there is no need to test for legionella. The bacteria grow best in warm water, like the kind found in hot tubs, cooling towers, water tanks, large plumbing systems and decorative fountains that are not well maintained.

Next Steps: This has been my brief initiation into the world of water testing, and we are going to focus some of our energy on the solution, because adding chemicals and testing of water closely replicates the world of managing refrigerant leaks and system status updating and performance. Unlike the silent impact that refrigerants have on equipment and building performance, improperly treated water systems don't hide, they have a very nasty way of expressing themselves. Over 200K people globally will likely contract this disease, if you have the symptoms there is a very high likelihood of survival and a return to health. And for those people involved in the treatment, reporting and maintenance of water systems, it would be great to hear more from you.