Prevention Efforts Prove Critical With Heightened Risk Of Legionella In School Water Systems
Intellihot advocates for proactive water safety measures to mitigate health threat
GALESBURG, Ill. —The COVID-19 pandemic forced K-12 schools to not only close their doors suddenly and unexpectedly, but to keep them closed for an unusually long period of time. Due to the prolonged shutdown, stagnant water left sitting in the pipes and plumbing systems of school buildings now poses a great threat of Legionella bacteria growth which can cause Legionnaires' disease, a type of severe pneumonia that can lead to death. Though there is always a risk of Legionella in stagnant water systems, schools may be at a much higher risk now due to the several months-long closures and continued low-occupancy which may allow for higher concentrations of Legionella to develop.
As schools across the country work to reopen, Intellihot implores K-12 school administrators to take preventative health and safety measures, such as proactively flushing all piping and water-using devices and to consider long-term solutions like tankless hot water heaters in order to minimize the risk of Legionnaires’ disease and other waterborne hazards and diseases.