My first encounter in dealing with combating Legionnaires’ disease through code regulations dates back to 1977. Older individuals will recall that the disease got its name after the outbreak in 1976 in Philadelphia at the American Legion Convention.
Fresh water is an undeniably valuable and essential natural resource. But are plumbing engineers unintentionally putting building occupants are risk by implementing water conservation guidelines and equipment? What are the unseen consequences of water conservation?
When I first entered the trades in 1972, residential tank-style water heaters shipped with the aquastat set to approximately 140° F. Dishwashers had no need to incorporate a sanitizing cycle. Around 1977, water heater manufacturers were required to lower the aquastat temperature setting to approximately 120°, and now, dishwashers needed to incorporate a sanitizing cycle where rinse water in their reservoir was raised to 140° or higher.
Legionnaires’ disease, first identified in 1976, is caused by water contaminated with Legionella pneumophilia which, when disseminated in droplets into the atmosphere and inhaled, may infect a person.
By completing all eight modules, engineers can receive 0.25 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) through the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE), and all participants who complete the modules will receive a Certificate of Completion for the course
The two-day special session, hosted by NSF Health Sciences, an NSF International company, and the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), will also address how industries such as health care, water utilities, manufacturing and hospitality, as well as health departments and regulators, can better respond to water-related challenges during a major health crisis.
Cooling towers are a critical component of many buildings’ cooling systems, as they are the points where heat is dissipated into the atmosphere through an evaporative process.