Many buildings have sat silent during facility closures caused by COVID-19, which is leading some to worry about the possibility for outbreaks of legionella, the bacterium responsible for causing Legionnaire’s disease and Pontiac fever. Legionella thrives in stagnant water, which is a particularly high risk in buildings that have been closed due to the pandemic and are now reopening.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), legionella is a bacterium that naturally lives in freshwater environments but can cause health issues in humans once it spreads into building water systems, such as cooling towers, hot water tanks, sink faucets, and more. The bacterium can infect humans and cause health issues when people breathe in small water droplets containing legionella. The bacteria thrives the most in warm water, which is compounded since warm temperatures create difficulty to keep disinfectants at safe levels.