How is Legionella Contracted?
Posted in: News on July 1, 2016 by...
Legionella is a natural bacteria that is found in water. It grows best in warm water, and when people are exposed to it is can cause illnesses like Legionnaires disease. The bacteria grows best in the warm water found in places like hot tubs, cooling towers (to remove heat using water from the air conditioning systems in large buildings), hot water tanks, and large plumbing systems.
Usually, it is contracted through breathing in droplets of the contaminated water, hence buildings with large, complex water systems and air conditioning tend to be more high risk. In rare cases, it has been found to come from contaminated showers. In order to develop, Legionella needs two things: warm water and impurities in the water such as algae and limescale.
