The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recently published a new study estimating the burden and direct healthcare costs of infectious waterborne diseases in the United States. They chose to study waterborne diseases that were likely to causes substantial illness or death, and this includes Legionnaires disease. The goal of this study is to help direct preventative action moving forward and set public health goals. New information from the CDC estimates total illnesses, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, deaths, and direct healthcare costs for 17 waterborne infectious diseases, Legionnaires diseases included. The CDC determined about 7.15 million waterborne illnesses occur annually. Individuals are exposed to the bacteria that cause Legionnaires disease in a variety of ways. Common methods of exposure include contact, ingestion or inhalation of aerosols from showers, sinks, building cooling towers and other locations. Additionally, the average amount of time individuals spend on leisure is increasing. This means more time is spent at swimming pools, waterparks, water playgrounds, and hot tubs has increased as well. These locations rely on proper chlorination to prevent the growth of Legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires disease, but this is not always done properly. Premises plumbing water quality can be compromised in many ways. This includes long water residency times, reduced disinfectant levels, and inadequate hot water temperatures, creating environments where these harmful bacteria can grow. The next post will explore the results of the study that estimate the burden of these waterborne diseases. Click here for a free consultation! THE MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE HAVE BEEN PREPARED BY JULES ZACHER, P.C. FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE NOT LEGAL ADVICE OR A SUBSTITUTE FOR LEGAL COUNSEL. 