Like several industries, if HVAC makes real headlines in national publications, it’s probably because something bad happened. That’s really unfair, given all of the incalculable comfort provided on a daily basis and the effort spent on safety and efficiency. But that’s generally the way it goes, and lately, Legionnaire’s disease is back in the news thanks to testing that turned up the culprit in the water system last month at Allegheny General in Pittsburgh.
Coincidentally, the CDC had already been applying more scrutiny to this problem after an uptick including incidences in Flint, MI; New York; and at a different location in Pittsburgh. To take a look at the slightly bigger picture, the CDC reports that the number of people with Legionnaires’ disease grew nearly fourfold from 2000-2014. That’s not encouraging given that you’d think awareness, procedure, and technology to prevent it should only be increasing in terms of overall effectiveness.