If you do not own a business with an engineered water system and more than five employees, chances are you have never heard about the dangers of Legionella. But if you are a homeowner then you should be equally as wary. Legionella is a deadly strain of bacteria that was discovered in 1976 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is known to cause Legionnaire’s disease and Pontiac Fever. In fact, the first case of Pontiac Fever was documented as early as 1968, but the cause, whether viral or bacterial, had yet to be found. The 1976 outbreak happened at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel where retired soldiers were gathered for an American Legion conference, the purpose of which was to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. You can visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bellevue-Stratford_Hotel to see this great American landmark. It is likely that the bacteria were already present in the pipes of the old hotel, which hadn’t seen such an influx of visitors in quite a while.
Why Legionella is a Threat of Today
Since Legionella prefers cool, stagnant water, it is no wonder that it was able to establish itself among the unused sections of pipes at the Bellevue-Stratford, before spreading among the various hotel rooms when the entire water system was in use.
Out of 4,000 U.S. veterans attending the convention, less than 300 ended up infected, which may not sound as bad considering there are much more deadly pathogens out there. Nevertheless, the number of reported cases of Legionnaire’s disease has been on the rise since the year 2000, with over 10,000 cases reported in the U.S. in 2018 alone. Now more than ever it is crucial for homeowners and business owners alike to become aware of the threat posed by Legionella, and take the appropriate measures to review and secure their water systems before someone ends up infected.
What A Responsible Landlord Must Do
Here in the UK, it is in fact a legal obligation for landlords or those responsible for managing their premises to ensure the health and safety of others occupying the same space. This means that if you are in a position of responsibility from which you could participate in the control of legionella, you must take measures to ensure you have sufficient Legionella awareness training. Luckily, there are Legionella Training Courses you can take if you are the assigned Responsible Person and Duty Holder, so that you know what measures are needed to control legionella and prevent contamination in your work or home environment. Accredited sources for such training must be registered with the Legionella Control Association (LCA). Those that complete a Legionella awareness-training program will also be given a course certificate to show their colleagues and clients that they comply with today’s standards of health and safety.
Basic Training
Such a proper course should at the very least cover Legionnaire’s disease, Legionellosis, Legionella awareness, and domestic hot and cold water systems. For example, as the Responsible Person and Duty Holder, you should know what the symptoms of legionella are and how to spot them in their early stages. The bacteria take about two weeks to incubate in a human body once contracted, but early onset symptoms like dry-cough, chills, and fever may be detected during prior days. The responsible party also must also have knowledge of techniques for basic water treatment and management. But the right program should offer addition training for water management that goes beyond basic household application.
Water-Control
Wherever water is able to splash or whenever it is being cooled, water particulates will enter the atmosphere along with whatever microbes it may contain. These particulates, explained here are called aerosol particles. If you manage a pool, a water-treatment center or work in heating and air-conditioning; if your business uses cool water for dentistry or water-cooling towers for use in manufacturing, you will want to receive additional legionella training. All such topics and their respective water-treatment methods should be covered in an LCA-certified training course. Especially if you manage a nursing home or a hospital, the way that water is treated and circulated is absolutely crucial in ensure the safety of the elderly or those in poor health. To them, a brush with Legionella could possibly be fatal.
