Preventing legionella has become a priority for many hospitals, nursing homes, gyms, leisure centres and spas ever since the deadly 1976 outbreak in Philadelphia, however, there have since been advancements in protecting against the legionella bacteria. Knitted mesh is a key player in the battle against legionella because of its robust but flexible properties.
What is legionella?
Legionella is a bacteria that thrives in stagnant water, meaning that pools, hot tubs, air conditioners, humidifiers, and taps and showers that aren’t frequently used are at risk of causing an outbreak of legionnaires’ disease. The disease is a severe bacterial form of pneumonia contracted through inhaling infected water droplets.
Preventing Legionella
Reactive responses to a presence of legionella are not acceptable, and precautions must be put in place to actively prevent the growth of legionella bacteria in warm, stagnant water.
The most common prevention methods include water temperature maintenance, regular water flow and frequent in-depth cleaning. However, these methods can not only be cost and labour intensive but also cause safety concerns. Another common method is a large machine that uses UV lighting to kill bacteria, however once this is turned off the bacteria begins to grow again, and can take up to 3 hours to regain effectiveness once turned back on. A passive, in-line prevention tactic is preferable, and this is where Knitwire can help you.
You can have bespoke parts designed to fit into whatever system you’re protecting. These can be either compressed parts, rope or mesh rolls. Knitted mesh is extremely flexible and can be manipulated into any shape that you need to fit into your applications. Knitted mesh has an extremely high surface area, capturing the smallest of particles without disrupting air or water flow.
Using either copper or silver-plated copper, the products benefit from their antimicrobial properties. Testing has proven that these materials are capable of killing not just legionella, but also E. coli and Pseudomonas bacteria upon contact.
If you’re looking for a method of protecting against these bacteria, you can work with our design engineering team to produce the right product for you. Contact us today to find out how we can help.
