Alternatives treatment in the installations for legionellosis risk reduction

Abstract

The author's extensive experience in the field of hospital maintenance engineer, has served as a basis to suggest alternatives to prevent the occurrence of Legionella neumophila bacteria in hazard installations. The intention with the recommendations proposed design, use and management of such facilities is to create in them hostile environments for microbial life and especially for legionella, combining physical and chemical methods. In this way we can decrease the bacteria populations, below the levels in light of current knowledge, are infective.

Describes different options to traditional treatment methods, which can obtain the same results while minimizing risks for both people and the environment. It also presents the results of several experiments, by which an attempt to know how they behave facilities and materials that compose them, against the aggression that produce biocides methods. Finally, we compare the different types of centralized production and storage of hot water and study the advantages and disadvantages of each.

The proposals aim to formulate three things in this order: legionella control populations originating preventing disease in people, protect facilities in which bacteria can grow, and as far as possible to avoid damage to the environment of discharges of hazardous substances.