Historically, Legionella bacteria exposure and development of legionnaires’ disease has been associated mainly with aerosolized water from cooling towers. In fact, the seminal event in the discovery of this disease occurred at the Philadelphia Bellevue Stratford Hotel due to exposures to aerosols from the building’s HVAC cooling tower. Other potential exposure sources, such as decorative fountains, showers, sinks, and others, have also been identified areas for further investigation in the built environment. Sampling of these fixtures is common place after buildings are offline or sit stagnant for a significant period of time or there is a susceptible population that uses or spends significant time near the potential sources. In this session we will discuss questions as a group relating to potential legionella exposure from non-aerated sources as well aforementioned non-cooling tower fixtures. We will also discuss how to interpret the results of sampling efforts and what remedial actions would be appropriate based on concerning analytical results.
Presented by Brian Nemetz