In response to a 2019 legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Moncton where fifteen people were hospitalized, the New Brunswick government has introduced legislation to reduce the risk of legionnaires’ disease in cooling towers. This bill was introduced by Health Minister Dorothy Shephard and would require a registry and associated maintenance and testing of cooling towers. The registry is meant to help quickly locate the towers for testing in the event of future outbreaks. Public Health officials have said that regular testing and maintenance can reduce the risk of bacteria; however, to this point there was nothing requiring such work in New Brunswick. Cooling towers are mechanical equipment with water and a fan that are a part of a centralized air-cooling system for a variety of buildings. Legionella bacteria can grow and spread into the community via mist from the towers carried by wind. To read more about the proposed New Brunswick Cooling Tower Legislation, click here. To read our firm’s white paper on Legionnaires’ disease and COVID-19, click here. For more information on Legionnaires’ disease, check out the National Academies of Sciences Management of Legionella in Water Systems Report here. Contact Jules Zacher for a 100% free consultation today. 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.