Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia — lung inflammation usually caused by infection. It’s caused by a bacterium known as legionella. Most people catch Legionnaires’ disease by inhaling the bacteria from water or soil.
People can get Legionnaires’ disease when they breathe in small droplets of water in the air that contain the bacteria. Less commonly, people can get sick by aspiration of drinking water containing Legionella. This happens when water accidently goes into the lungs while drinking.
You can get Legionnaires’ disease if you breathe in tiny droplets of water containing bacteria that causes the infection. It’s usually caught in places like hotels, hospitals or offices where the bacteria have got into the water supply. It’s less common to catch it at home.
Testing is the only way to determine if your home drinking water systems has Legionella. Water samples should be drawn from your water heater and water faucets and showerheads. For rental properties with water systems that could pose a potential Legionella risk, it is recommended that a Legionella risk assessment is carried out once every two years – or before a new tenancy begins.
To get this booked in, contact us. It simply involves one of our engineer’s coming to collect samples from key points around your site. … The sample is then labelled and taken to a UKAS-accredited laboratory within 24 hours for analysis.
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