|
Managing legionella is extremely important because if it is left contaminating water sources, it can cause fatal damage to the lungs. With this in mind, this too is where and how Legionella management has become more and more important in more recent times. The risk of this increases when Legionella bacteria multiply so that higher levels are found in the source water. In fresh water supplies, the conditions are rarely favourable for Legionella bacteria to multiply into higher numbers (which is why the number of bacteria in natural water is low). The bacteria live and grow in water with an optimum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius, but can also survive temperatures ranging from 20 to 50 degrees Celsius. This is why any hot or cold-water system must be properly maintained to prevent desirable conditions for Legionella to grow; creating a higher risk of someone developing Legionnaires’ disease. As well as hot and cold-water systems, Legionella can be found in cooling towers, evaporative condensers, air conditioning, spas and whirlpools, and humidifiers. Legionnaires’ disease was first discovered in America following a large outbreak of pneumonia in the 1970s. The species of Legionella bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease is the species L. pneumophila. Another milder illness that the bacteria are commonly associated with is Pontiac fever. In England it is thought that Legionnaires’ disease is underreported, with up to 250 cases of the disease reported each year. However, this excludes cases that are reported with the person being exposed to Legionella bacteria outside of England. Legionella management services are for sure something which cannot be ignored in terms of its role and the overall importance of it too in this day and age. It is also a growth area and a service being hired in more and more too. If you are responsible for the health and safety of a building it is extremely important that you control the water supply and system to prevent Legionella from multiplying. The first step in doing this is by thoroughly risk assessing your water system. This will identify any potential issues that you may have with your water system so that you can create a management plan to address these issues to ensure that they do not develop into a risk of Legionnaires’ disease. This too is a major area overall in the management of the risk of Legionella management .
Related Articles -
Legionella management, Legionella management services, uk,
|
