At Blue Earth Products we know how dangerous legionella is on individual and organizational levels. In recent years incidences of reported Legionaires’ disease have tripled, estimating $321 million spent on medical costs per year. Let us share some facts with you that may put things into perspective.
Legionanaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia that is often present in municipal water supplies, often in places such as hospitals and hotels. Legionellae are proven to be more tolerant of normal chlorine levels than other bacteria. Most find it interesting that direct contact with the bacteria doesn’t put a person at risk of infection. Rather, as soon as the bacteria becomes aerosolized into fine droplets, mist or spray, then one becomes more prone to becoming infected. Indivuduals who smoke, are elderly, have cancer, or those with a lung or kidney disease are more vulnerable to obtaining the disease.
Particular conditions allow legionella to rapidly amplify to levels sufficient to constitute a health risk. Water between 68 F to 126 F or the presence of sediment or other foreign material in water promote the development of biofilm, a primary food for the bacteria, thus enhancing the risk of colonization. The bacteria could then be aerosolized and distributed through faucets, showerheads, fountains, swimming pools, humidifiers, and medical respiratory devices. When this occurs, owners and managers of the premises are frequently targets of legal action by those alleging to have contracted the disease. Other people often involved in legal disputes include the persons responsible for the development, design, engineering, construction, manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and repair of the building system.
“The legal exposure associated with Legionnaires’ disease can be substantial. The CDC has reported death rates between 20 and 40 percent of compromised individuals. A single outbreak can affect dozens or even hundreds of people. Many of those infected who do survive still spend weeks, if not months, in the hospital and are often left with severe permanent impairment and six-figure medical bills. In addition to the contraction of pneumonia, claimants often allege a wide variety of injuries and ailments, including coma, stroke, sepsis, hypotension, lactic acidosis, acute renal failure, heart failure, brain damage, and neurological dysfunction such as tremors or paralysis, dysphagia, and dysphonia. The serious personal injury or death caused by this disease makes proof of extensive compensatory damages simple. Reported settlements and jury awards range from $255,000 to $5.2 million. Reports of settlements are rare as most agreements include stipulations that payout amounts remain confidential.”
A Clearitas program is Blue Earth Products solution to prevent devastating legionella outbreaks from occurring. Clearitas® is specifically designed to remove the films and deposits and scale that adhere to pipe walls and other wetted surfaces.