ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, November 9, 1996 TAG: 9611110030
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WATERFORD, MICH.
An outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that killed four people and sickened at least 26 others has been traced to an air conditioning cooling tower on the roof of a suburban Detroit grocery.
Health investigators tested water samples from several businesses before concluding the airborne bacteria came from the Cattleman's Market in Farmington in late September and early October, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said Friday.
He said the tower has been sterilized and the outbreak is over.
Stagnant warm water in rooftop cooling towers makes them a common breeding ground for Legionella bacteria, which become airborne when the water evaporates.
Preventive measures for Legionnaires' include periodically draining and disinfecting cooling towers.
Farmington Mayor JoAnne McShane said she would ask the state to adopt regulations governing the sanitation of such towers.
Legionnaires' disease is not contagious from person to person. It is spread when people inhale mist carrying the bacteria. People infected with the bacteria may develop pneumonia-like symptoms and high fever within weeks.
- Associated Press
LENGTH: Short : 33 linesby CNB