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air flow – from clean to dirt areas, without incidence over the exposed
food. The standard requires also the sanitation and scheduled and periodic
maintenance of the components of the HVAC systems, including the
replacement of the filtration elements. The air intake must be held in areas
free from contaminants and distant from the points of air exhaust.
The limitations determined by the ordinance encourage the installation
of HVAC systems to provide improved working environment, thus avoiding
the accumulation of gases, dusts, fumes, grease and condensation of vapors
(COORDINATION OF HEALTH SURVEILLANCE, 2011).
With relation to the Legionellosis, we have just few cases referring to
the Legionnaires’ disease available in the literature, which makes difficult the
access to relevant information about the illness and its importance to the
public health, especially to the professionals of health (COSTA, 2009).
This is a bacterium that is present in the environment, which parasitizes
in amoebae and protozoa, making it resistant to adverse situations, as in
the systems of warm water. The contamination of men by the
Legionella
is facilitated by equipment producing aerosols, such as evaporative
condensers, air humidifiers, cooling towers, fountains and mists of potable
water, formed by showers and in the air conditioning systems (COSTA,
2009; QUIRINO , 2011)
Some aspects on resistance and mode of infection of this bacterium
cause concern when examining the conditions of the environments where
food is prepared, mainly in areas of large volume of production. The optimal
temperature for the development of
Legionella
is between 35 and 45 °C, a
temperature that is easily verified in kitchens because of the ovens and stoves.
The lack of ventilation or poor ventilation is also frequent and humidity content
