Legion danger prevails

Press, 30 March 1989, Page 13

Legion danger prevails

The public will be exposed to Legionnaire’s Disease from wet cooling systems for years because of the apparent cost of changing over to safer drycooled air-conditioning, according to a public health expert, writes Annabel Ferriman in the “Observer.”

Conversion of the country’s 5000 cooling towers could cost £250 million, said Michael Bailey, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The latest outbreak of Legionnaire’s Disease, in central. London, is thought to have led to one death, 11 confirmed cases and 39 suspected ones. The 8.8. C. is facing 29 claims for compensation from staff and 33 from other people because of an earlier outbreak last April during which three

non-staff members died. In both cases the weather was unseasonally warm and may have played a part by prompting companies to turn on air-conditioning before the usual cleaning and maintenance.

According to Mr Bailey, an occupational safety adviser, some private firms do not look after their cooling towers.

Professor Patrick O’Sullivan, of London University’s architecture department and consultant to the 8.8. C. on its new dry cooling system, said many companies originally overestimated their air-conditioning needs, and the cost of installing a smaller, safer system could be offset by energy savings.