If you don’t live in an area where Legionnaires disease is a known problem, you may be unfamiliar with the bacterial infection that causes intense, and sometimes fatal, illnesses in those who come into contact with it.
The bacteria-born disease is typically spread in large buildings that rely on commercial grade air conditioning units to keep temperatures cool. That’s because the bacteria takes hold in the water cooling tanks of these systems.
Once the water is vaporized, those tiny water droplets are spread through the air, where they are inhaled by people, allowing the infection to take root.
Climate change is helping spread Legionnaires thanks to lower quality water being used in the systems, and the increased need to run these systems for longer thanks to rising temperatures, creating the perfect circumstances for outbreaks like Legionnaires to spread.
I was dropping the temperature in my hot water heater, and they said it should be over 120°F to avoid accidentally incubating Legionnaires. I also found out that Legionnaires has a 10% death rate.
As a previous asset manager, NZ has a legal requirement that a buildings water must be tested for legalllegionnaires monthly
