School officials in Elgin, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, are considering a more intensive Legionella testing schedule after three schools were shut down due to the bacteria last year. The Elgin Courier-News found that Essential Water Technologies, the water treatment company for School District U-46, recommended quarterly Legionella testing for cooling towers. School officials want even more stringent testing schedules to err on the side of caution; however, no timeline is set. In September 2015, three schools and an administration center in the Elgin were shut down due to high levels of Legionella in cooling towers. 3,000 students were evacuated. To read more about…
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…