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The likelihood of contracting Legionnaires’ disease depends mainly
on three factors: 1) the level of contamination in thewater 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:
OSHATechnicalManual-Sec.III: Chapter 7)
OSHA provides information on conducting employee awareness
programs, water samplingprotocols and guidelines for acceptable levels of
the organism inwater, procedures for identifyingnew cases of thedisease,
andwater treatment and control strategies for facilitieswhere anoutbreak
has occurred. These guidelines are always used as a means to judging
accountability by facility owners. However useful the OSHA guidelines
donot provide a stepby step approach to evaluating awater system at risk
and thereforemany people who are taskedwith that responsibility are so
overwhelmed, they choose todonothing…
It’sDECISION time!
After decades spent in thewater treatment field, I have seendozens of
approaches todealingwith
Legionella
. I have seen the struggles customers
havehad 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 Ihave learned is thatestablishedscientificpracticesexist to
combat theproblem. Noonehas toreinvent thewheel.Findingprofessional
help towalkyou through theprocessmightmake a significant difference!
