A device made to help the environment is likely to be the cause of an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Norway. Industrial air scrubbers, which are air pollution control devices that remove particulates and gases from exhaust streams, may have spread the disease to 56 people.
This is an example of an industrial air scrubber made by Monroe Environmental. Please note that the make and model of the air scrubber were not mentioned in the article.
Legionnaires’ disease is a form of pneumonia caused by the bacterium Legionella. According to MedlinePlus:
Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia caused by bacteria. You usually get it by breathing in mist from water that contains the bacteria. The mist may come from hot tubs, showers or air-conditioning units for large buildings. The bacteria don’t spread from person to person.
Out of the 56 people that were diagnosed with Legionnaires’ in May 2005, 10 of them died. Investigators found matching strains of bacteria in the air scrubbers and the infected patients.
This isn’t the first time the threat of Legionnaires’ has arisen from an air conduit. Less than a month ago in Auckland, New Zealand, high counts of Legionella were found in cooling towers in neighboring buildings. Legionnaires’ was also to blame for three deaths in Christchurch and one in Beachlands, New Zealand, in 2005.
