There May Be Legionella Present In Your Water

It seems like every time you turn around, there's some new virus or bacteria that's making the headlines. And although the media does take note when Legionella episodes occur in mass numbers at places like hospitals, nursing homes or contaminated water sources like hot tubs, there are potentially thousands more cases that no one takes notice of - sometimes not even the doctors that victims turn to for help. It is predicted that approximately 10-15k of cases that are reported and dealt with as pneumonia each year are actually those who have fallen prey to this frightening bacteria. Of those, an estimated 5-15 % of cases will turn out to be fatal.

In light of figures like these, many home and business owners are increasingly concerned about testing their water for not only this particular bacteria, but a number of other chemical and biological contaminates. Fortunately, there are a number of labs across the nation that specialize in providing property owners with both on-site testing services and even do-it-yourself testing kits that can greatly reduce the costs. However, it is important for property owners to understand that a single site test may not accurately reflect the quantity and concentration of bacterial contaminates. It is often necessary to secure the services of laboratories that specialize in analyzing the concentration levels and then making their prognosis and recommendation based on results that have undergone greater scrutiny.

While families (especially families of those who have suppressed immune systems, are aging, have chronic health problems, or smoke or drink heavily) have plenty of reasons to be concerned, the brunt of liability and responsibility faced by business owners in hospital, hospitality and food service industries is particularly daunting. Since October of the year 2005, more than $800,000,000 has been awarded by juries in cases of those suffering or dying from Legionellas disease. This doesn't, of course, include those monetary awards that are still currently pending. Compared with the potential risks, the relatively small cost of a thorough and comprehensive water test is easily justifiable.

Testing for this particular contaminate is something that needs to be done regularly. There are any number of different ways that the bacterium can be introduced into a water source (even salt water) and once it does, it often thrives as most of them are shielded from the traditional water treatment methods thanks to mutually symbiotic relationships they form with other micro-organisms that also exist under similar conditions. As there is no known vaccination to prevent infections, diligence and careful Legionella testing are necessary to truly minimize the risks in residential and commercial situations.

Legionella and Legionnaires disease (an infection resulting from much more concentrated levels of the microorganism) have been reported in many countries throughout North and South America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and Africa. Fortunately, in most of these same areas, there are options for home and business owners to get their hands on the testing and research laboratories and technicians to thoroughly and accurately test their water and insure that their properties are always erring on the side of caution. Since there are over 40 different subspecies of the infectious agent, it is recommended that you take time out at least every two years to complete a legionella assessment, unless floods or other potential sources of contamination occur in the interim.