Legionnaires' Bacteria Found In Pennsylvania School's Water
KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. (CBS/AP) — Routine testing has uncovered the bacteria that cause Legionnaires' disease in the hot water at a southeastern Pennsylvania high school.
Kennett High School in Chester County outside Philadelphia is closed while officials work to eliminate the legionella bacteria. The school has discontinued using the boiler room spigot where the positive sample was taken and as an additional precaution shut down all showers.
The school district says there is no cause for alarm and the Health Department says there are no confirmed reports of Legionnaires' disease.
The Superintendent posted the following message on the school's website:
'We are notifying you that during routine testing of the hot water systems at Kennett High School, a positive test result for legionella bacteria was confirmed.
In response to this test result, we have consulted with the Chester County Health Department and contracted with an environmental remediation firm to eliminate the bacteria. As a proactive measure, we have discontinued use of the boiler room spigot where the positive sample was taken and as an additional precaution shut down all showers
According to the Health Department, the presence of the bacteria, which are commonly found in water, is no concern for alarm at this time. The Health Department officials stated that there are no confirmed reports of Legionnaires' disease and the Health Department would not be issuing a public advisory at this time.
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.'
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