7 Hopkins Cooling Towers Under Investigation In Legionnaires' Outbreak
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Investigators are focusing on seven cooling towers in Hopkins as they continue to search for the cause of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that left 23 sick and one dead.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, the seven cooling tower locations under scrutiny are: SuperValu east, SuperValu west, Thermo-Tec, Hopkins Office Center, the Gold Crest Apartments, Citrus Systems, and the Hopkins Ice Pavilion.
The Hopkins Police Department says all of the towers are in the process of being cleaned and sanitized. The tests to be done by the Health Department, however, are expected to take some time.
A person can contract Legionnaires' disease by breathing in fine mist that contains the Legionella bacteria, though not all people who ingest the bacteria get the disease. The disease cannot be contracted by simply drinking water.
For more information about Legionnaires' disease, click here.