Minimize Outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease by Monitoring Building Water Systems

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been on the rise in the United States. Legionnaires’ disease is a serious type of pneumonia caused by a bacteria known as Legionella, which typically lives in water.

When people inhale contaminated water from building water systems that are not adequately maintained they could become sick and the CDC reports that Legionnaires’ disease is in fact deadly for approximately 1 in 10 people who contract it. This is why the agency states that buildings may need a water management program to reduce the risk for Legionnaires’ disease associated with their building water systems and devices.

“9 in 10 CDC investigations show almost all outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease were caused by problems preventable with more effective water management,” said Jason Dobranic, Ph.D., Vice President of Microbiology and Life Sciences at EMSL Analytical, Inc. “Routine environmental sampling for Legionella is one practical way to validate the efficacy of a water management program to confirm it is working as intended. Proactive environmental sampling for Legionella should not be done in isolation, but rather be a part of a comprehensive water management program that takes into account decisions about sampling frequency, location and methodology.”

EMSL Analytical, Inc. is one of North America’s leading Legionella testing laboratories that support water management programs. With dozens of locations across the United States and Canada, EMSL offers traditional culturing methods and rapid PCR and Whole Genome Sequencing test methods to identify Legionella from all types of environmental samples. Over twenty of the company’s laboratories have received the CDC’s Certificate of Proficiency from its Elite Program for Legionella testing, another five locations are NYSDOH ELAP Legionella certified laboratories. EMSL has also recently sponsored an educational video about Legionella and monitoring building water that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/F_Ggg_uaL_s.

To learn more about Legionella or other microbial testing services, please visit www.LegionellaTesting.com or www.EMSL.com, email  info@EMSL.com  or call (800) 220-3675.


About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is one of the leading testing laboratories with over 46 locations throughout the United States and Canada. EMSL is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider specializing in fast laboratory results for mold, bacteria, Legionella, USP 797, pathogens, asbestos, lead, soot, char & ash from fires, VOC’s, odors, radon, formaldehyde, indoor air quality, microbiology, environmental, industrial hygiene, radiological, food, beverage & consumer products and material testing services for the identification of unknown substances. EMSL services both professionals and the general public. EMSL maintains an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies including, but not limited to A2LA, AIHA LAP, LLC. (AIHA EMLAP, AIHA IHLAP, AIHA ELLAP), NVLAP, CDC ELITE, CPSC, CA ELAP, NY ELAP, TX DOH, NJDEP and multiple other state accrediting agencies. Please visit our website at www.EMSL.com for a complete listing of accreditations. In addition, EMSL carries a wide range of Sampling Equipment and Investigative Products for environmental professionals.

Contact Information

Joseph Frasca

Senior Vice President of Marketing

EMSL Analytical, Inc.

(1) 856-303-2503

Contact via E-mail