by Brianna Crandall — June 8, 2016 — More effective water management might have prevented most of the Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigated from 2000 through 2014, according to yesterday’s CDC Vital Signs report.
Problems identified in these building-associated outbreaks included inadequate disinfectant levels, human error and equipment breakdowns that led to growth of Legionella bacteria in water systems. CDC released a new toolkit along with the report to help building owner and managers prevent these problems.
Both the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International are working with CDC to help reduce the incidence of Legionella that led to the building-associated Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks CDC investigated. This collaboration underscores the critical role FM plays in preventing public health risks, with the health and safety of building occupants being a top priority for both associations’ professionals.
According to CDC, Legionnaires’ disease is on the rise. In the last year, about 5,000 people were diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease, and more than 20 outbreaks were reported to CDC. Legionnaires’ disease is a serious type of lung infection (pneumonia) that people can get by breathing in small droplets of water contaminated with Legionella, explains CDC. Most people who get sick need hospital care and make a full recovery, but about one in 10 people will die from the infection.
More effective water management might have prevented most of the Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks that CDC investigated from 2000 through 2014. Full infographic available on CDC link at end of article.
The Vital Signs report examined 27 building-associated Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks investigated by CDC across 24 states and territories, Mexico, and Canada. For each outbreak, CDC researchers recorded the location, source of exposure, and deficiencies in environmental control of Legionella.
The most common source of building-associated Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks was drinkable water (56%), such as water used for showering, followed by cooling towers (22%) and hot tubs (7%). Other sources included industrial equipment (4%) and a decorative fountain / water feature (4%). In two outbreaks, the source was never identified.
Twenty-three of the investigations included descriptions of failures that contributed to the outbreak. In nearly half, more than one type of failure was identified.
- About 2 in 3 (65%) were due to process failures, like not having a Legionella water management program.
- About 1 in 2 (52%) were due to human error, such as a hot tub filter not being cleaned or replaced as recommended by the manufacturer.
- About 1 in 3 (35%) were due to equipment, such as a disinfection system, not working.
- About 1 in 3 (35%) were due to changes in water quality from reasons external to the building itself, like nearby construction.
New toolkit for Legionnaires’ disease prevention
CDC’s new toolkit for building owners and managers, Developing a Water Management Program to Reduce Legionella Growth & Spread in Buildings: A Practical Guide to Implementing Industry Standards, is based on ASHRAE Standard 188-2015 Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems, a document for building engineers.
The toolkit provides a checklist to help identify if a water management program is needed, examples to help identify where Legionella could grow and spread in a building, and ways to reduce the risk of Legionella contamination.
CDC points out that most healthy people do not get Legionnaires’ disease after being exposed to Legionella. People at increased risk of Legionnaire’s disease are 50 years of age or older and have certain risk factors, such as being a current or former smoker, having a chronic lung disease, or having a weakened immune system.
Visit the CDC Web site for more information on the new Vital Signs report or on Legionella, Legionnaires’ disease, and the CDC toolkit. CDC also released an infographic about the data.
