What Causes Legionnaires’ Disease? It Could Be Your Water!

Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Legionnaires’ Disease

At Angel Water, we want to protect people from the health hazards of contaminated water. Because of this, we wanted to help raise awareness about America’s most deadly waterborne disease, Legionnaires’ Disease.

In recent months, this disease has made headlines in the Chicago region as outbreaks have been reported at area nursing homes, hotels and hospitals.

These alarming reports beg the question: how can Chicagoans protect themselves from Legionnaires’ Disease? The good news is there are steps people can take to defend themselves.

Read on to learn more about the disease, what causes it, and how to guard your health against its harmful effects.

What is Legionnaires’ Disease?

Legionnaires’ Disease is a waterborne illness caused by the buildup of bacteria called Legionella in water. People most frequently contract the disease by inhaling contaminated water. However, it can also occur when people accidentally get water in their lungs while drinking.

The disease got its name in 1976 after an outbreak occurred at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia, PA. Many of the people attending the conference contracted Legionella pneumonia from the contaminated water in the hotel hosting the conference.

Doctors often misdiagnose the disease as the flu because its symptoms are very similar. The symptoms include cough, fever, and muscle aches.

For this reason, while there are usually between 8,000 and 18,000 cases of the illness diagnosed each year, we suspect that the actual total is a lot higher. Some experts estimate that the number could be as high as 70,000 cases per year!

This begs the question: What could cause so many people to come down with this illness?

What Causes Legionnaires’ Disease?

To protect ourselves from Legionella, we must first understand where it comes from. Here are a few potential causes of Legionnaires’ Disease to be aware of:

Old Plumbing

Legionella bacteria thrive in areas where it has plenty of organic material to feed on. One of the most common spots for this is galvanized iron plumbing.

If your home was built before the 1960s, then your water probably runs through those old iron pipes. Most newer homes do not have this type of plumbing as builders now use PVC, pex tubing, or copper.

The problem with old iron pipes is they adhere to organic material in the water. The more the material sticks to the pipes, it creates the ideal environment for Legionella to grow in as it feeds on the material.

Organic Material Buildup in Water Heaters

Old iron pipes aren’t the only places where Legionella loves to grow. Water heaters can also be an ideal environment.

The reason for this is water heaters warm the water to a perfect temperature for bacteria growth. So, if people don’t take precautions, the heater can dispense contaminated water throughout the home.

Fortunately, licensed plumbers can install devices on water heaters to keep bacteria from growing. Homeowners can also protect themselves by regularly recirculating water through their kitchen sink or bathroom sink.

Stagnant Water

Legionella needs time to grow. Therefore, the bacteria are most often found in water that has sat stagnant in plumbing for long periods of time.

There are a couple of common reasons water will sit stagnant in a home: 1) the home has dead-end plumbing or 2) the home has neglected sinks or showers.

A home that has been remodeled will often have dead-end pipes. These are pipes that used to lead somewhere but don’t anymore because of the remodel. Dead-end pipes that extend 18 inches and beyond are especially good incubators for Legionella because they give water plenty of space to stagnate and grow the bacteria.

Water also often stagnates in the pipes that supply water to unused showers or sinks. The water in these pipes has plenty of time to sit and develop Legionella.