Understanding the Impact of NJ Bill S2188 on Building Water Systems
On September 12, 2024, New Jersey passed Bill S2188, aimed at reducing the risk of Legionnaires’ disease. This law requires hospitals, nursing homes, high-rise residential buildings, senior housing, hotels, and other commercial and industrial spaces to establish water management programs to minimize the growth and spread of Legionella bacteria in building water systems. The bill […]
How Weather, Climate, and Water Sources Impact Waterborne Disease Hospitalizations
A recent study from Columbia University, published in the open-access journal PLOS Water, investigates how weather conditions, climate, and water sources affect hospital admissions for waterborne infectious diseases in the United States. The study examined 12 years of data from 516 hospitals in 25 states. Key findings on biofilm-forming bacteria Biofilm-forming pathogens, such as Legionella, […]
Plumbing 201 for Infection Preventionists: The Impact of Plumbing on Healthcare
Healthcare facilities are tasked with preventing the spread of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), and the intricacies of plumbing design and material selection play a significant role in this effort. The role of biofilm in promoting bacteria and pathogens in healthcare water systems including drains and the link between drinking water outbreaks like Legionella to biofilm in […]
Plumbing 101 for Healthcare Infection Preventionists
As an infection preventionist, ensuring patient safety is a top priority. Access to clean and safe drinking water is crucial throughout patient care, making plumbing a critical component in maintaining a safe healthcare environment. In this blog, we will discuss the importance of plumbing in infection prevention, plumbing equipment associated with increased infection risk, and […]
Legionella: What Is It and How to Control It
What is Legionella? Legionella is a bacterium that causes Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever. It was named after the first known outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in 1976 at an American Legion Convention. Legionnaires’ disease is a severe type of pneumonia. Pontiac fever is a less severe illness that typically resolves without hospitalization. Approximately 90% of […]
Copper-Silver Ionization: A Simple and Effective Solution for Legionella Remediation
Legionella remediations are treatment processes for controlling Legionella in a building water system, generally deployed after routine Legionella testing returns shows systemic positivity or if a case of Legionnaire’s disease is traced back to the facility. Copper-silver ionization is a proven remedial water treatment method backed by hundreds of independent research studies. It’s simple, effective, […]
Safeguarding Hospital Infrastructure: A Colorado Hospital Sediment Filtration Success Story
A newly constructed hospital in Colorado encountered challenges immediately after its opening in 2016. Continuous pinhole leaks in the pipes arose due to sediment buildup issues. The high sediment loads in the incoming water supply caused pinhole leaks throughout different sections of pipe. As a result, the hospital had to replace pipes that should last […]
Corrosion: What Is It and How to Control It
What is corrosion? Corrosion is the degradation or deterioration of a material caused by a reaction to its environment. In building plumbing systems, corrosion can occur in our piping systems and water-bearing equipment due to reactions, chemicals, and impurities in the water. These processes result in uniform corrosion, pitting, cracking, or erosion, ultimately causing the […]
Biofilm: What Is It and How to Control It
Biofilms, intricate communities of microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, and other microscopic entities, thrive on surfaces through a remarkable process of collaboration and self-protection. Encased within a self-produced, slime-like matrix, these microorganisms firmly anchor themselves to a variety of surfaces, from the moist lining of a water pipe to the hard enamel of our teeth. While […]
Waterborne Pathogens a Growing Concern in US Drinking Water, CDC Report Shows
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a report summarizing waterborne disease outbreaks in the United States between 2015 and 2020. The report Surveillance of Waterborne Disease Outbreaks Associated with Drinking Water includes data voluntarily reported by public health agencies to the CDC through the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS). Data reported […]
