New Hampshire health officials are waiting for the results of additional testing of a cooling tower that might be linked to several cases of Legionnaires’ disease.The state issued an advisory Monday after testing confirmed the presence of the Legionella bacteria, which causes Legionnaires’ disease, inside a cooling tower behind the Riverwalk Resort in Lincoln.The resort immediately cleaned the tower and reported that their efforts to sanitize were successful. Additional testing was done Wednesday out of an abundance of caution, officials said.”Basically, a cooling tower is a box. Normally they sit on a roof, but sometimes it’s besides a building,” said Steve April, of Same Mechanical Services, which has experience with cooling towers. “For the most part, in facilities, hotels, etc., it’s used for cooling air conditioning equipment.”>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play
New Hampshire health officials are waiting for the results of additional testing of a cooling tower that might be linked to several cases of Legionnaires’ disease.
The state issued an advisory Monday after testing confirmed the presence of the Legionella bacteria, which causes Legionnaires’ disease, inside a cooling tower behind the Riverwalk Resort in Lincoln.
The resort immediately cleaned the tower and reported that their efforts to sanitize were successful. Additional testing was done Wednesday out of an abundance of caution, officials said.
“Basically, a cooling tower is a box. Normally they sit on a roof, but sometimes it’s besides a building,” said Steve April, of Same Mechanical Services, which has experience with cooling towers. “For the most part, in facilities, hotels, etc., it’s used for cooling air conditioning equipment.”
>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play
He said the equipment can be a perfect breeding ground for bacteria.
“It’s wet, it’s warm and it’s dark. It’s a perfect petri dish for this stuff to grow in,” he said.
The state issued an advisory on Monday after initial tests confirmed the presence of the bacteria, which causes Legionnaires’ disease, inside the cooling tower.
The state has seen other outbreaks in the past from resorts on the Seacoast and in the North Country.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been increasing across the country since the early 2000s. April said he would like to see the state regulate cooling towers to ensure they’re clean and safe.
“Our biggest fear is for our employees, fearful for our employees being around this type of thing,” April said.
Doctors said most healthy people exposed to the bacteria will not become severely ill. Those with weakened immune systems or chronic lung disorders have a higher risk for complications.
The state expects the results from the additional testing to come in next week.
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