ASHRAE is seeking a third round of public comments on Guideline 12- 2000R, Proposed Revision of Guideline 12-2000, Managing the Risk of Legionellosis Associated with Building Water Systems.

Guideline 12 is open for public review until Dec. 17. Those interested in reviewing and commenting on the guideline can do so through the ASHRAE Online Comment Database. In this Independent Substantive Change (ISC) public review draft, only revisions in strikethrough and underlined are open for comment.

The purpose of ASHRAE Guideline 12 is to provide information and guidance to assist in control of legionellosis associated with building water systems. It also provides guidance useful in the implementation of ASHRAE Standard 188, “Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems.”

ASHRAE Guideline 12 is intended for use by owners of human-occupied buildings and those involved in the design, construction, installation, commissioning, management, operation, maintenance, and service of centralized building water systems and components.

“This guideline addresses an important issue that impacts public health and safety, so feedback is critical,” said Paul Lindahl, committee chair for ASHRAE Standing Standard Project Committee (SSPC) 188, the committee responsible for writing Guideline 12. “Guideline 12 will be a strong companion to ASHRAE Standard 188 in an effort to provide building owners with the resources needed to reduce the risk of Legionellosis and save lives.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are between 8,000 and 18,000 cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the United States each year, with more than 10 percent of the cases fatal. Most are the result of exposure to Legionella associated with building water systems.

For more information and to comment, visit ashrae.org/publicreviews.