New standard to control Legionella

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is proposing a revised standard practice to prevent legionellosis associated with building water systems.

The bacterium Legionella can lead to a very serious form of pneumonia, referred to as Legionnaires’ disease, or the milder Pontiac fever. There are many thousands of cases every year in the U.S. Essentially all cases of legionellosis are related to building water systems. 

ASHRAE Standard 188P, Prevention of Legionellosis Associated with Building Water Systems is a practices standard, rather than a design standard. It is intended to help building owners and managers understand the available information on controlling the spread of legionellosis, and to specify “exactly what to do in their facilities to control the hazard in a systematic and scientifically defensible way.”

Standard 188P also covers the potable water system in buildings, which are not treated as often as cooling towers.  It will hold facility managers and owners accountable for properly managing the entire building water system both potable and utility water.

The standard is currently open for a second public review until July 25. For more information, visit www.ashrae.org/publicreviews.

The Standard is complementary to ASHRAE Guideline 12, Minimizing the Risk of Legionellosis Associated with Building Water Systems.