Although legionella was detected last fall in Washington’s Capitol Building cooling towers and Congress’ Office of Compliance called for monthly testing of the units to prevent a hazardous buildup, the Architect of the Capitol was issued a citation when the deadly bacteria was again found in the cooling towers and it was determined that no testing had actually been done.
The citation, dated April 22, was for a “serious” violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act which occurred at the Capitol Power Plant, the facility which houses the congressional building’s cooling towers. The citation states that “Employees were exposed to the hazard of developing Legionnaire’s disease.”
The document states that high concentrations of legionella were detected in August 1998 in the West Cooling Towers. The Architect of the Capitol was also informed that the aging East Cooling Towers “were in very poor condition and, until replaced, required intensive maintenance.” Because of these conditions, the Office of Compliance mandated monthly testing for the presence of legionella.