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The likelihood of contracting Legionnaires’ disease depends mainly
on three factors: 1) the level of contamination in the water source; 2) the
susceptibility of the person exposed; 3) the intensity of exposure to the
contaminated water. Disease transmission usually occurs via inhalation
of an aerosol of water contaminated with the organism. Aspiration of
contaminated water into the lungs may also cause the disease. (Source:
OSHA Technical Manual-Sec.III: Chapter 7)
OSHA provides information on conducting employee awareness
programs, water sampling protocols and guidelines for acceptable levels of
the organism in water, procedures for identifying new cases of the disease,
and water treatment and control strategies for facilities where an outbreak
has occurred. These guidelines are always used as a means to judging
accountability by facility owners. However useful the OSHA guidelines
do not provide a step by step approach to evaluating a water system at risk
and therefore many people who are tasked with that responsibility are so
overwhelmed, they choose to do nothing…
It’s DECISION time!
After decades spent in the water treatment field, I have seen dozens of
approaches to dealing with
Legionella
. I have seen the struggles customers
have had evaluating the risk, reading regulations, and trying to implement
the best and most effective solution. YES the risk is real, but the most
important thing I have learned is that established scientific practices exist to
combat the problem. No one has to reinvent the wheel. Finding professional
help to walk you through the process might make a significant difference!
