What Owners and Managers of Buildings and Healthcare Facilities need to Know about the Growth and Spread of Legionella.Legionella, the bacterium...
Published on by Nuno Silva, CSTO - Chief Scientist and Technology Officer at UnifAI Technology
Legionella, the bacterium that causes Legionnaires’ disease, occurs
naturally in freshwater environments, like lakes and streams. Generally the low amounts of these bacteria in freshwater do not lead to disease. However, Legionella can pose a health risk when it gets into building water systems. To do this, Legionella first has to grow (increase in numbers), then it has to spread through small water droplets (aerosolization) that people can breathe in.
You can take steps to reduce the risk for Legionella in your building.
Factors that lead to Legionella Growth
Legionella can live and grow in biofilms.
A variety of internal and external factors can lead to a Legionella problem in your building, including:
- Construction
- Water main breaks
- Changes in municipal water quality
- Biofilm
- Scale and sediment
- Water temperature fluctuations
- pH fluctuations
- Inadequate levels of disinfectant
- Changes in water pressure
- Water stagnation
UnifAI Technology Real Time Early Warning System is the 1st line of defense using low cost sensor leveraged by AI method, which identifies and provides easy, rapid alarms of microbiology presence.
The whole process is cost effective and the results can be achieved in real time.
Media
Taxonomy
- Public Health