What exactly is Legionnaire's Disease? This disease entails a severe respiratory infection caused by bacteria, known as "legionellae". Human contamination is made possible by inhaling water droplets from installations with high concentrations of these bacteria. Under certain conditions (temperature, pH, stagnant water, etc.), legionellae bacteria can proliferate, especially in:
Cooling tower water circuits: cooling systems based on dispersing water into an air flow, as used for air conditioning in the tertiary sector and for cooling in the industrial sector, with these water droplets being dispersed by the cooling tower;
Humidification systems (air humidifiers, misters);
Domestic hot water circuits (showers).
In France, regulations regarding cooling towers and their associated risks (ICPE heading: 2921) were promulgated following the most extensive outbreak of Legionnaire's Disease known to the nation, which occurred in the region of Lens during winter 2003-04 (ARIA 26002). This regulatory framework was updated at the end of 2013. Key statistics for France in 2014: 1,348 cases of Legionnaire's Disease officially declared (rate of exposure: 2 cases for every 100,000 population), including 122 deaths (9.5% mortality rate). Source: INVS Institute
Source:Aria database
No comments:
Post a Comment