What Fosters The Growth Of Cooling Tower Legionella

What Fosters The Growth Of Cooling Tower Legionella?
The deadly Legionnaire’s disease comes under the category of pneumonia. In
this condition, the lungs are inflamed acutely, mostly due to an infection. In
the Legionnaire’s disease, this condition is caused by the Legionella bacteria.
This is not a contagious disease that can spread through touch, but instead a
person catches the legionnaire’s disease through inhaling a water droplet
small enough to enter their system. This water droplet is infected by these
bacteria, which enter into the lungs and then cause this disease. A major cause
of this disease is the bacteria that thrive in the cooling towers. Due to this
cooling tower legionella, a lot of industry workers contract this disease.

A lot of people develop early symptoms for this disease. These include flu like
condition such as chills, fever, nausea, diarrhoea, muscle pain, headaches etc.
Other symptoms include, that the patient may develop later, shortness of
breath, mental changes, chest pain etc. Over time, the person may suffer from
respiratory failure, kidney failure and sudden blood pressure drop, thus,
making the disease fatal.
One of the greatest risks of Legionella virus is faced when cooling towers
contain water that is untreated for several weeks. As the bacteria need a warm
and moist climate to grow, these conditions in the cooling towers, where the
water remains dirty and stagnant, prove congenial for its growth. This is a
grave condition to work in, and can specially affect the elder staff that is
working in your company, somebody with respiratory problems, diabetic
people or heavy smokers and drinkers. Therefore, it is essential that the
company should take care of the condition of water in their cooling towers.
Cooling towers are the perfect grounds for bacteria growth as they are open
and contain warm water. They are built on the principle of evaporating the
water and also diffusing heat by giving out a mist of warm water through a top
corner. This mist definitely contains the water droplets that are infected. If
there are any open windows or inlets near to the tower, these droplets enter
into the spaces inhabited by people and thus, are inhaled by them through
aspiration. This is where it all starts.
This can readily be reduced if the industries follow the practices of installing,
operating and maintaining the water systems properly. These cooling towers
need disinfecting ever now and then, and the water in the towers must be kept
at temperatures that do not encourage the growth of these bacteria. Treating
the towers with biocides is another way of preventing legionella growth. The
metal surfaces should be trated with these, so that any other growth, perhaps
of alga can be removed. Any contamination must be treated immediately and
the towers must be de-scaled. Corrosion is another factor that can lead to an
increased growth of the bacteria. Corroded and worn out aged parts must be

eplaced at once. Weekly checks are necessary to maintain the health of the
tower. They must be constantly monitored and any abnormal growth must be
reported.
Legionella bacteria will definitely colonise if given the conditions that it needs
to grow in population, but with some steps, particularly for the cooling tower
legionella prevention, this situation can be abated. For more details, visit
http://www.legionellaguidelines.com.au