Legionella in train toilet systems

Published on Monday 30 May 2011 15:54
Traces of potentially fatal bacteria have been found in the toilet water systems of trains in Scotland.
ScotRail confirmed it detected legionella - which is linked to the deadly form of pneumonia Legionnaires' disease - in two of its onboard water tanks.
The operator sampled 15 tanks after being alerted to another train operator having discovered the bacteria.
Across the UK, it is reported that one in three of 150 train toilet systems tested positive for legionella.
In recent weeks there have been three deaths known to have been caused by Legionnaires' disease in Scotland, however there are no known cases of the illness being contracted on a train. Infection is caused by breathing in small droplets of contaminated water, and the disease cannot be passed from one person to another.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2011, All Rights Reserved.