Legionella, an Overview and Guide to Prevention

Legionnaires disease is a somewhat rare but fatal type of pneumonia caused by the bacterium legionella commonly found throughout the natural environment. In order to catch legionella or the lesser Pontiac Fever inhalation of water droplets (aerosol) contaminated with the legionella bacterium must first take place.

Since aerosol can be created from almost any open water system such as showers, spray taps and spa pools there is a significant foreseeable risk of legionella where open water systems are present in industrial, municipal and domestic environments.

Symptoms of legionella include a high fever, dry cough and chills that can go on to become fatal if not treated promptly. Many cases are missed due to under-reporting or misdiagnosis by clinicians; it is critical that the appropriate antibiotics are administered to prevent the disease progressing further or causing permanent damage to the lungs resulting in lifelong disability.

Many cases are acquired abroad due to poor building health and safety practice and the lack of legislation and knowledge surrounding preventative measures.

History and Legislation

Following a convention of the American Legion in Philadelphia, 1976 a large proportion of the delegates became ill with pneumonia that eventually resulted in 29 deaths. A subsequent investigation into the cause of the deaths revealed the presence of a previously unidentified bacteria, subsequently named Legionella Pneumophilia, of which around 90% of cases of legionella today can be attributed to.

Cases of Legionnaires disease are rare in Western Europe and North America due to better health and safety awareness and water hygiene within buildings. When an outbreak of Legionella occurs however it tends to attract significant media attention and be devastating for the business deemed responsible with corporate manslaughter charges often brought, such as in the case of Barrow in Furness in the UK in 2002. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Barrow-in-Furness_legionellosis_outbreak)

Legionellosis, including Pontiac fever tends to affect men more than women, smokers, people with compromised immune systems and the elderly. This makes detection and prevention particularly important when considering buildings where a susceptible population will be found. Examples of this include care homes where there are a high concentration of elderly residents and healthcare buildings such as hospitals and clinics.

The guidance in the UK is particularly stringent for hospitals and heath care facilities with the government publishing a separate technical document alongside the Associated Code of Practice (ACoP L8), HTM-04-01 aimed at duty holders in the healthcare setting.

Due Diligence & the Legionella Risk Assessment

In many countries such as the United Kingdom it is a legal requirement under the Health & Safety at Work Act to carry out a legionella risk assessment in order to identify the risk present from a buildings hot and cold water systems. The OSHA in the US lays out guidelines for preventing legionella and treatment within a water system. A study conducted by Paola Borella et al in Italy illustrates the prevalence of legionella bacteria in water systems with 22.6% of hot water systems surveyed having legionella bacteria present. (http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/10/3/02-0707_article)

It is the responsibility of the duty holder, i.e. the person ultimately in charge of the building such as the managing agent or landlord to appoint a suitable person to undertake a legionella risk assessment.

The risk assessment is the starting point of a water treatment control program and should be considered when:

The risk assessment should include:

• A detailed overview of the buildings water system with schematic diagram showing water outlets
• The management pathway showing responsible personnel with their names and contact details
• A written scheme detailing the sites control measures
• A temperature profile of the sites hot and cold water services
• The significant findings of the survey clearly detailed and an action plan to address any issues found

Legionella in the Environment and Proliferation

Legionella bacteria can be found throughout the natural environment in the soil, rivers and lakes. Rapid growth within man-made water systems can commonly occur if the right environmental conditions are present with many domestic and industrial systems representing a foreseeable risk in regards to legionella growth.

Systems of particular concern include open cooling system such as cooling towers and evaporative condensers, air conditioning systems, whirl pool spas and multiple shower systems often found in leisure centers and hospitals.

Figure 1. Water tanks and hot water vessels should be inspected annually and cleaned if necessary

A lack of a suitable and sufficient management control program is often one of the biggest causal factors when considering an outbreak of legionella. Appropriate responsible personnel should be appointed and a deputy person should be made available to cover tasks such as temperature monitoring and testing when the responsible person is not available.

Poor communication between maintenance staff and managers will lead to gaps in record keeping and lapses in system control; all tasks should be clearly defined with records kept up to date.

Temperature

Legionella bacteria thrive in a temperature range of 20-45°C (68-113°F) and this should be avoided by ensuring water heaters are heated to at least 60°C (140°F) at all times. Temperature monitoring of the building should be carried out on a monthly basis ensuring an appropriate temperature profile of the building is maintained.

Where temperature control is not possible due to limits in system design a residual form of disinfection should be considered such as chlorine dioxide or UV sterilization.

Conclusion