Legionella

What is legionella?

Article | 23 October 2024
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What is legionella?

Building owners are responsible for the control and monitoring of legionella in the building due to the duty of care in the Netherlands. Legionella can be controlled by letting the water flow or by regularly flushing with hot water (thermal disinfection). Capturing legionella by ultrafiltration is one of the so-called alternative prevention methods.

Legionella is a pathogenic bacterium found in water. According to RIVM, at least 50 different species (serotypes) of legionella have currently been identified. Most infections are caused by Legionella pneumophila. The non-pathogenic variant is legionella non-pneumophila. Legionella colonies grow very rapidly in stagnant water between 25°C and 40°C.

How does legionella infection take place?

Legionella infection can only occur by inhaling aerosols containing a high concentration of legionella. Aerosols are small water droplets released when water is atomised, such as in showers, fountains, humidifiers, air-conditioning systems, whirlpools and cooling towers. It is therefore not possible to contract a legionella infection.

The concentration of legionella in water is expressed in CoE/L. These are the number of Colony Forming Units. The standard of Dutch drinking water is a maximum of 100KvE/L.

Legionelle prevention bij PB Your Filter Factory

Are you looking for the best legionella prevention? At PB, we supply durable, user-friendly and high-quality legionella filters. Moreover, we use ultrafiltration, an advanced technique that removes all particles, including Legionella bacteria, larger than 0.02 microns from liquids.

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