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Risk Assessment is the tool par excellence to be used by the private
sector, which is exactly the most responsible for the Legionnaire’s disease
outbreaks, to combat
Legionella
.
Legionella
is considered a harmless bacterium to humans when living
in nature. Until today there is no registered case of infection associated
to natural sources. It is true that
Legionella
is naturally a parasite, but in
its habitat,
Legionella
is limited to infecting protozoa (especially amoebae).
Human activity, with its technological development, is responsible for
bringing these risks to human communities. Artificial water systems created
conditions for
Legionella
to infect human lungs (in a very similar way it
infects amoebae). In this way, it is also a typical disease of our modern
times (that’s why it was only discovered in 1976) and also in urban areas of
developed or developing countries.
The same way as other waterborne pathogens, such as E. coli and
other fecal microorganisms that are a necessary and continuous concern
associated to water systems,
Legionella
is and must be seen as a typical
water risk. When considering any environmental risk, to neglect
Legionella
risks also creates civil and criminal liability. The difference is that not only
drinking water systems provide this risk but virtually all water systems that
are not 100% closed. Not only that, most of the traditional and efficient
fecal contaminants control measures and treatments have little or no effect
on
Legionella
. In that way, it is necessary to attain a comprehensive tool,
such as a Risk Assessment by the HACCP method, to understand each
water system in its particularities and to give solutions to private control
and management of all reasonable
Legionella
risks.
