ASHRAE Standard On Legionellosis Open For Comment

A proposed standard practice that specifies requirements to prevent legionellosis associated with building water systems is currently open for public review from ASHRAE. The ASHRAE Standard 188P, Prevention of Legionellosis Associated with Building Water Systems, is intended to address the “what” of controlling the spread of legionellosis. The standard helps facility managers/owners understand how to apply the available information on Legionella effectively in order to prevent cases of legionellosis associated with building water systems.

The bacterium Legionella can lead to a very serious form of pneumonia, referred to as Legionnaires’ disease, or Pontiac fever, which is a less severe form of the disease. There are many thousands of cases every year in the U.S. Essentially all cases of legionellosis are the result of exposure to Legionella associated with building water systems.

Read TFM‘s June 2011 coverage of Standard 188P in “The HVAC Factor” column here.

“We know how to analyze and control this hazard,” Bill McCoy, chair of the Standard 188P committee, said. “We need a standardized practice to specify for facility managers/owners exactly what to do in their facilities to control the hazard in a systematic and scientifically defensible way.”

Bill McCoy (Phigenics-USA), parceiro da SETRI Brasil e Colombia.