Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Legionella bacteria found in water
School closed; no sicknesses reported and remeditation set to fix problem
KENNETT SQUARE >> Kennett High School was ordered closed Friday after routine testing of the hot water systems tested positive for legionella bacteria.
All other schools in the district remained open.
In response to the test result, school officials consulted with the Chester County Health Department and contracted with an environmental remediation firm to eliminate the bacteria. As a proactive measure, officials have discontinued use of the boiler room spigot where the positive sample was taken and as an additional precaution shut down all showers.
The bacteria is not in the cold drinking water consumed by students. No incidents of anyone being sickened have been reported.
“In an effort to increase the safety for all of our students, we go through voluntary testing,” said Barry Tomasetti, superintendent of schools. “It is not mandated that we test. Most schools probably don’t test for legionella. In the past three years, we have tested all of our buildings. This was the first positive, and it was in the hot water tank. It is not in the drinking water, just in the hot
water heating tank.”
Tomasetti said he consulted with officials at the Chester County Health Department, and he was told that students are not in danger, and it was safe for students to come to school Friday. However, Tomasetti decided to close the school as a precaution.
Schools are closed next week for Easter break
“All other schools tested negative, and there is no bacteria anywhere in any of the other schools,” Tomasetti said. “We are working with the Department of Health. We did not have to close the schools. We closed the high school today to get the process of remediating started today. We are working hand in hand with the Department of Health and also an expert in the field.”
The school district will engage a remediation firm to treat the water systems. Samples of the water will be taken to confirm that the bacteria have been killed. Test results will be made known to the school community. Testing typically takes two weeks.
According to the Health Department, the presence of the bacteria, which are commonly found in water, is not a concern for alarm at this time. The Health Department officials stated that there are no confirmed reports of Legionnaires’ disease as a result of the bacteria and the Health Department would not be issuing a public advisory at this time.
The bacteria and disease gets its name from an outbreak at an American Legion convention at a Philadelphia hotel in 1976.
The presence of legionella bacteria does not mean that a person will contract Legionnaires’ Disease. The bacteria are not passed from person to person. People often receive low-level exposure as it exists naturally in the environment.
Tomasetti said officials do not know how the bacteria got into the water system.
“We don’t know what happened, but we will get to the bottom of it,” he said.
Tomasetti said he will be communicating with parents next week as the situation is resolved. Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia-lung inflammation usually caused by infection. Legionnaires’ disease is caused by the bacteria legionella, which is common in the environment.
“We closed the high school today to get the process of remediating started today. We are working hand in hand with the Department of Health and also an expert in the field.” — Barry Tomasetti, Kennett Consolidated School District superintendent
Legionnaires’ disease occurs by inhaling microscopic water droplets containing the bacteria. Signs of Legionnaires’ disease can include coughing, shortness of breath, high fever, muscle aches and headaches.
Outbreaks are commonly associated with buildings or structures that have complex water systems, like hotels and resorts, schools, long-term care facilities, hospitals, and cruise ships. The most likely sources of infection include water used for showering, hot tubs, decorative fountains and cooling towers such as parts of centralized air-conditioning systems for large buildings.