Healthy Indoors Magazine
Issue link: https://hi.iaq.net/i/664321
amplification or when an outbreak of disease is suspected. In the fall of 2015 the US Environmental Protec- tion Agency (EPA) released a draft for public review and comment on Technologies for Legio- nella Control: Scientific Literature Review. After a public meeting was held and comments were received, the status of this document is not certain. While it represents a laudable effort to compile the currently available published litera- ture on approaches to controlling Legionella in potable water systems, it specifically excludes cooling towers, believed to be a significant source of legionellosis and numerous out- breaks. Admittedly, the document offers no new information, guidance, or critique of existing pathogen control measures for water systems. Therefore, this effort is not likely to further our progress in preventing disease occurrence. It does however articulate the need for regulatory oversight of treatment chemicals and technolo- gies, and that facilities who install supplemental water treatment systems will likely have to be permitted. In the spring of 2016 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a draft publication titled Developing a Water Manage- ment Program to Reduce Legionella Growth & Spread in Buildings: A Practical Guide to Imple- menting Industry Standards. This document appears to signal a fundamental shift by the CDC from a completely reactionary approach to advocating a more preventive stance. Offered as a "toolkit," this publication tries to simplify a complex issue but still misses the mark on three important aspects. First, it fails to define the competencies and qualifications of indi- viduals who can design a water management program. Second, it continues to suggest that relying entirely upon secondary indicators of water treatment, such as disinfection levels, is sufficient to protect against amplification. Third, it fails to provide any meaningful guidance on the use of sampling for the actual pathogen that causes Legionnaires' disease to validate the ef- fectiveness of the water management program. However, the draft document does at least state that "testing directly for Legionella in the build- ing water system can help you to validate your program." After the most severe community-wide outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in New York City dur- ing the summer of 2015, several city-wide and state ordnances were passed to address cool- ing towers. While a step forward in prevention, the hyper-focus on cooling towers and utter silence on problems with potable water systems and decorative water features makes it likely these rules will have limited impact on cases of disease. The rules requiring building owners to register cooling towers and implement test- Legionella Continued from previous page 22 April 2016