Every year thousands of cases of Legionnaires’ disease are reported that disrupt lives and place a great burden on businesses that could have potentially avoided outbreaks in their facilities. More and more institutions are enacting preventative measures to ensure that Legionnaires’ disease does not reach their populations. The questions is, then, what advice are these businesses and/or people following to guarantee that they will not have to deal with this issue? Expert Sherrie Dornberger of McKnight’s News corroborates a suggestion made by the Center for Disease Control (CDC): don’t build a fountain. Many cases of Legionnaires’ disease arise from the inhalation of airborne bacteria found in water molecules ejected from decorative fountains. These cases are much more prevalent in buildings that house immuno-compromised populations such as medical facilities and elderly care homes. The simplest and easiest solution for businesses is to scrap any plans for decorative fountains in the first place. In addition to alleviating the risk of Legionella bacteria, it also lightens the financial and organizational burden of having a complex water system to accommodate such a decoration. Dornberger suggests that an aviary or garden would probably be a better alternative for embellishment in a facility. Although a fountain does make a very nice decoration, it could potentially end up costing a lot more than it’s worth. The full CDC report and guidelines for prevention can be found here. Additionally, scientific articles regarding the epidemiology and surveillance of Legionnaire’s disease can be found here. For more from Sherrie Dornberger, please see McKnight’s News . 
What’s the Best Advice Considering the Risk of Legionella When Building New Water Decorations? Don’t Build Them was last modified: January 6th, 2016 by
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