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Legionella Treatment & Control Program

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What is Legionella? Legionella Water Treatment Risk Management How ChemTreat Can Help Other Cooling Water Treatment Potable Treatment Offerings
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What is Legionella?

Legionella is a bacterium first discovered after the 1976 outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease (a serious type of pneumonia) in Philadelphia at an American Legion convention.

Legionella can grow and multiply in building water systems, spreading to people through small water droplets in the air. There are currently no vaccines that can prevent Legionnaires’ disease.

Legionella Water Treatment

Legionella is found naturally in freshwater like lakes and streams. It becomes a health concern when it grows in man-made water systems that are not well maintained.

After Legionella grows and multiplies in a building water system, water containing Legionella can then spread in droplets small enough for people to breathe in.

Examples of building water systems that might grow and spread Legionella include:

  • Shower heads and sink faucets
  • Ice machines
  • Hot tubs
  • Hot water tanks and heaters
  • Large plumbing systems
  • Decorative fountains and water features
  • Cooling towers (structures that contain water and a fan as part of centralized air cooling systems for building or industrial processes)

Legionella Bacteria Growth Conditions

Legionella have been grown between 77 and 113°F (25 and 45°C) under laboratory conditions, with optimal growth between 77 and 108°F (25and 42°C).

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Meet the Expert

A ChemTreat Tech Staff associate belongs to the ASHRAE and CTI committees that developed the Legionella guidelines, ensuring ChemTreat’s commitment to Legionella control best practices.

Helen Cerra, ASHRAE SSPC 188 Committee Secretary (2016-2021); Cooling Technology Institute President (2018-2019)

Legionella Risk Management

Maintaining building water systems is essential to reduce the risk of Legionella growth and transmission.

Guidelines for Legionella Water Systems Control

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188, Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems provides guidance for the risk management of Legionella and water systems. This standard provides a framework to develop a water management plan to minimize risk associated with illness.

The Cooling Technology Institute (CTI) has published a new document: Legionellosis Guideline GDL-159, Practices to Reduce the Risk of Legionellosis from Evaporative Heat Rejection Equipment Systems.

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How ChemTreat Can Help with Legionella Control

ChemTreat works with our customers to develop Legionella water management plans in accordance with the risk management requirements set forth by ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188.

For guidance around maintaining buildings during prolonged shutdowns, click here.

ChemTreat Legionella Water Management Program Offerings Include:

  • ASHRAE 188-compliant Water Management Plans (WMP)
  • New York State and New York City-compliant Water Management Plans
  • Automation and control
  • Online real-time data logging
  • Legionella sampling services
  • Validation testing
  • Tower cleanings
  • Water Management Plan program training/education

Flowchart going from Gather Team to Survey to Flow Diagrams to Control to Corrective Actions to Verification & Validation, ending at Documentation

Other Cooling Water Treatment Offerings

Legionella bacteria is just one challenge companies face when managing their cooling programs. ChemTreat field representatives are experts in industrial cooling, with extensive experience in a variety of applications.

ChemTreat Cooling Water Programs

We offer cooling tower treatment programs such as:

To learn more about our cooling water treatment offerings, click here.

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Potable Water Treatment Offerings

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) require healthcare facilities to reduce Legionella risk in their water systems to prevent cases and outbreaks of Legionnaires’ Disease.

Medicare and Medicare/Medicaid-certified healthcare facilities are expected to have water management policies and procedures to reduce the risk of Legionella growth and transmission.

CMS recognizes the ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188 and its partner, the CDC Toolkit, as resources for developing water management programs.

ChemTreat partners benefit from our expertise in many areas of Legionella risk management:

  • Water management program development, including training and education
  • Validation testing and reporting, including Legionella sampling services
  • Remediation and disinfection support

Supplemental Disinfection for Potable Water Systems

SaniKill Machine

In the healthcare industry, managing waterborne pathogens in potable water systems is an integral part of a successful water treatment program. 

ChemTreat has partnered with Sanipur to offer SANIKILL®, a monochloramine-based supplemental disinfection technology for potable water systems. This patented technology offers many benefits over chlorine-based oxidizers and other industry-standard disinfection technologies.

  • Improved waterborne pathogen control
  • Better biofilm penetration
  • No taste or odor problems often associated with chlorine-based disinfectants
  • Lower observed presence of disinfection byproducts

With a lower oxidation potential than chlorine-based alternatives, SANIKILL can be used as a disinfectant for long periods without damaging potable water piping systems. 

This technology provides automated on-site monochloramine production and treatment that can be monitored remotely and reduce handling requirements.

Want to learn more about Legionella and biological control?

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Specialty Oxidants for Microbial Control
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