Failing air conditioning units drive Legionnaires outbreak

Over recent times, Legionnaires disease has continued to make headlines. From plant nurseries to dusty buildings, the bacterial infection can be deadly.

However, another source of Legionnaires disease is through contaminated water vapour from malfunctioning air conditioning systems and water cooling towers. In fact, multiple Legionnaires cases from the Sydney CBD in the early part of 2016 has authorities scrambling to locate the problem system.

According to a March 16 article in the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), at least nine people have contracted the disease, with one person losing their life as a result of the infection. As it can be difficult to pinpoint the cause of Legionnaires, authorities try to create a link between the victims – with the Sydney CBD the common tie.

The search continues

The SMH article that health authorities investigated all cooling towers associated with air conditioning systems in a certain part of the Sydney CBD, but failed to find the source.

NSW Health’s Director Communicable Diseases Dr Vicky Sheppeard explained that the disease certainly came from a cooling tower, but the hazardous particles may have blown into the area on the wind. As such, she is calling for business leaders to ensure their cooling towers and air conditioning systems are up to standard.

“The bacteria that cause Legionnaires’ disease live in water and can multiply in the water used to cool air conditioning systems, so infection is prevented by routinely maintaining and treating these systems,” she said.

“People outside can be exposed to the bacteria when a water cooling system emits contaminated water particles into the air.”

As the symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease may present themselves as the common cold or flu, many people may not know they have been infected for some time. This only highlights the importance of air conditioning and refrigeration systems regularly serviced and checked.

If this is something that your business wants to get right, the testo smart refrigeration set might be of use.

Smart Tools – Refrigeration Set

Combining four of our pressure and temperature instruments, the testo smart refrigeration set is perfect for many air conditioning and refrigeration applications. This includes servicing, preventative maintenance, commissioning and troubleshooting.

The trick with this technology is that it can be connected to your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth for app-controlled servicing and troubleshooting. Put simply, there is no need for any other tools as the smartphone or tablet communicates with the instrument for accurate measurements.

To learn more about this innovative, feel free to reach out to the team at testo today.