Water is a basic requirement for living. That is why access to clean and potable water is considered a basic human right. But despite advances in technology, water can turn into a lethal cocktail that can lead to a host of diseases and even fatalities. Somewhere between getting water from various sources, processing, distribution and storage, a lot can go wrong.
One such disease is Legionnaires disease which is caused by the Legionella bacteria. Although this type of bacteria is naturally found in bodies of water and even wind up in residential and commercial water supplies, they pose no immediate risk as long as their presence is kept low. However, due to a sudden shift in water temperature, typically during storage, this type of bacteria can swell in numbers and pose hazard to people. Legionella bacteria thrive in temperatures ranging between 20 to 45C.
A person becomes infected with Legionnaires disease when he inhales water droplets which contain Legionella bacteria. Symptoms of infection include fever, muscle pain, chills, fatigue, confusion, shortness of breath, chest pain and persistent cough. Young and fit individuals who get early access to treatment can easily combat the disease. However, the elderly, the immunocompromised, smokers and sufferers from lung disorders are at a greater risk of fatality.
Although there are no specific laws in the U.K. which mandate testing for Legionella, it makes both perfect business and moral sense to purchase a Legionella test kit and gauge the water quality in an establishment on a regular basis.
Again, a lot of things can go awry between water processing, distribution and storage. However, there are circumstances where testing can be deemed as a must. These include the use of cooling towers (which should be tested quarterly), the deliberate reduction of storage or distribution temperatures, inconsistent management of water temperature and biocide levels, suspected outbreaks and in hospital wards.
Testing water for Legionella is a fairly simple process. Establishments simply need to collect water from their supplies and store this in a sterile container. This sample will then be sent to laboratories for testing. After testing and interpretation, these specialists can recommend the appropriate measures to implement if a high amount of Legionella bacteria is found in the water.
But apart from regular testing, homeowners, business owners, their managers and supervisors of facilities and establishments can take more proactive measures including the use of cleaning agents like Showerhead Plus which effectively kill the Legionella bacteria.
About the author: Kenneth Lawrence is a handyman. Though he is more on home improvement tips, he is also inclined to discovering things that can help secure the health of households. AquaCert is one of the sites he visits when it comes to this topic. It is through blogging that he shares what he learned.http://www.aquacert.co.uk/
One such disease is Legionnaires disease which is caused by the Legionella bacteria. Although this type of bacteria is naturally found in bodies of water and even wind up in residential and commercial water supplies, they pose no immediate risk as long as their presence is kept low. However, due to a sudden shift in water temperature, typically during storage, this type of bacteria can swell in numbers and pose hazard to people. Legionella bacteria thrive in temperatures ranging between 20 to 45C.
A person becomes infected with Legionnaires disease when he inhales water droplets which contain Legionella bacteria. Symptoms of infection include fever, muscle pain, chills, fatigue, confusion, shortness of breath, chest pain and persistent cough. Young and fit individuals who get early access to treatment can easily combat the disease. However, the elderly, the immunocompromised, smokers and sufferers from lung disorders are at a greater risk of fatality.
Although there are no specific laws in the U.K. which mandate testing for Legionella, it makes both perfect business and moral sense to purchase a Legionella test kit and gauge the water quality in an establishment on a regular basis.
Again, a lot of things can go awry between water processing, distribution and storage. However, there are circumstances where testing can be deemed as a must. These include the use of cooling towers (which should be tested quarterly), the deliberate reduction of storage or distribution temperatures, inconsistent management of water temperature and biocide levels, suspected outbreaks and in hospital wards.
Testing water for Legionella is a fairly simple process. Establishments simply need to collect water from their supplies and store this in a sterile container. This sample will then be sent to laboratories for testing. After testing and interpretation, these specialists can recommend the appropriate measures to implement if a high amount of Legionella bacteria is found in the water.
But apart from regular testing, homeowners, business owners, their managers and supervisors of facilities and establishments can take more proactive measures including the use of cleaning agents like Showerhead Plus which effectively kill the Legionella bacteria.
About the author: Kenneth Lawrence is a handyman. Though he is more on home improvement tips, he is also inclined to discovering things that can help secure the health of households. AquaCert is one of the sites he visits when it comes to this topic. It is through blogging that he shares what he learned.http://www.aquacert.co.uk/
