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Title: Control of Legionnaires' disease -- An Australian perspective

Abstract

Major outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease (causative agent, ionella spp.) occurred in Australia during the 1980s and early 1990s. The putative sources were primarily heat rejection systems of the recirculating cooling water type (cooling towers). These outbreaks prompted engineers to carry out field studies on which to base improved design and maintenance practices for such heat rejection systems. Health authorities introduced regulations and guidelines to encourage owners to establish and maintain hygienic conditions in these and other systems. Central to this progress is the recognition that Legionella is essentially a biofilm organism and that it prefers the surfaces of warmer parts of systems for growth. This is particularly so if there are deadlegs in the system or accumulations of sediment. Biocidal water treatment approaches must therefore take biofilm control into account. A recent Australian innovation is the preparation of a national performance-based regulatory standard to complement earlier standards that are of a prescriptive nature. The aim of this new standard is to allow alternative strategies that may not necessitate system shutdown for regular cleaning yet provide for an equivalent level of system hygiene. The standard requires that a risk assessment strategy be implemented involving identification of performance indicators and control andmore » monitoring of parameters likely to move beyond stipulated limits.« less

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Clive Broadbent and Associates Pty Ltd., Canberra (AU)
OSTI Identifier:
20085648
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: ASHRAE Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA (US), 06/18/1999--06/23/1999; Other Information: PBD: 1999; Related Information: In: ASHRAE Transactions: Technical and symposium papers presented at the 1999 annual meeting in Seattle, Washington of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc.; Volume 105, Part 2, by Geshwiler, M.; Harrell, D.; Roberson, T. [eds.], 1360 pages.
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION; 29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY AND ECONOMY; AUSTRALIA; COOLING TOWERS; LEGIONELLA PNEUMOPHILA; DESIGN; MAINTENANCE; WATER TREATMENT; SAFETY STANDARDS

Citation Formats

Broadbent, C R. Control of Legionnaires' disease -- An Australian perspective. United States: N. p., 1999. Web.
Broadbent, C R. Control of Legionnaires' disease -- An Australian perspective. United States.
Broadbent, C R. 1999. "Control of Legionnaires' disease -- An Australian perspective". United States.
@article{osti_20085648,
title = {Control of Legionnaires' disease -- An Australian perspective},
author = {Broadbent, C R},
abstractNote = {Major outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease (causative agent, ionella spp.) occurred in Australia during the 1980s and early 1990s. The putative sources were primarily heat rejection systems of the recirculating cooling water type (cooling towers). These outbreaks prompted engineers to carry out field studies on which to base improved design and maintenance practices for such heat rejection systems. Health authorities introduced regulations and guidelines to encourage owners to establish and maintain hygienic conditions in these and other systems. Central to this progress is the recognition that Legionella is essentially a biofilm organism and that it prefers the surfaces of warmer parts of systems for growth. This is particularly so if there are deadlegs in the system or accumulations of sediment. Biocidal water treatment approaches must therefore take biofilm control into account. A recent Australian innovation is the preparation of a national performance-based regulatory standard to complement earlier standards that are of a prescriptive nature. The aim of this new standard is to allow alternative strategies that may not necessitate system shutdown for regular cleaning yet provide for an equivalent level of system hygiene. The standard requires that a risk assessment strategy be implemented involving identification of performance indicators and control and monitoring of parameters likely to move beyond stipulated limits.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/20085648}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1999},
month = {Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1999}
}

Conference:
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