What is Legionnaires' disease?
Legionnaires' disease comes from Legionella bacteria and other microorganisms. Over time, it can develop into a severe lung infection due to a person inhaling air particles or water droplets that the bacteria have contaminated.
The disease is uncommon; however, it's severe if contracted. It is critical for professionals and shipowners with special training to upkeep maintenance onboard and complete cleaning tasks with free chlorine and frequent tests to prevent Legionella.
You cannot contract the bacterial disease through person-to-person contact or from drinking contaminated water sources; however, few people can contract the disease by breathing contaminated water droplets and vapour.
Those most susceptible to infection are those adults over 45, those with compromised immune systems due to other medical issues and smokers.
How to control Legionella on maritime vessels?
Water testing, chlorine disinfection, and risk assessments are a vital part of the process of ensuring your vessels are safe.
Hot and cold water systems can be designed to provide safety, yet, even so, they still require effective management and adequate control practices to ensure they are safe. However, such may not be the same for much smaller pleasure vessels and ships.
Ferries are often utilised for more regular journeys, especially those that only take a few hours to complete. Other passengers and resources that spend extended periods onboard larger ships or vessels have more chance of contracting the disease.
However, it only takes a brief exposure to Legionella carrying mist or water vapour to get Legionnaires' disease or other illnesses like Pontiac fever. There is a wide range of ferries many years old, and older ships or vessels can be more challenging to test due to the relatively complicated traditional methods.
However, a previous study discovered that 70% of 10 ferries and cruise ships tested positive with a strain of serogroup 1 Legionella pneumophila, and 80% received positive test results for the strain of serogroup 2-14.
Much smaller maritime ships and vessels are at a higher risk of contamination to Legionella disease and, therefore, must take remedial action once issues have been raised. It makes sense that the newest, most extensive and grandest cruise ships that hit the sea are much safer than those older ships with much older water and plumbing services and systems.
However, this is also a massive indicator that cruise liners still need to pay attention to the treatment and condition of the water systems inside their vessels and ships, ensuring they are properly maintained and managed.
You must have staff on board to adequately clean, maintain and check your spa pools, hot tubs, fountains, showers, baths, and fountains.
Ship sanitation is paramount when adhering to health and safety obligations and practices. Duty holders and water safety specialists must perform routine checks on your water tanks, water outlets and systems as they are essential to Legionella prevention.
How Often Should Legionella Testing Be Done?
It all depends on the system you obtain and the outcome of the tests and Legionella risk assessments.
It's paramount that open systems, for example, evaporative condensers, spa pools and cooling towers, receive routine testing by a competent authority at quarterly points throughout the year.
However, you may find moments when sampling is required more frequently.
Generally enclosed hot and cold water systems do not require microbiological monitoring; this includes those systems that are not open to contamination and outside elements like cooling towers.
Whilst this is the case, many still may need water samples to be tested for Legionella.
For example, if you are experiencing doubt about the legionella control regime's efficacy, areas of disinfection or temperatures aren't being correctly maintained and achieved up to an industry level standard.
Suppose your cruise ship, liner or boat is being inspected by the authorities. In that case, it is a legal requirement to display a full range of reports of your most recent legionella testing data as proof that your vessel is safe to bathe, drink and exist on.
Maintaining potable water quality on ships.
We often use ferries for regular journeys that you can complete within a few hours; however, few people tend to spend long periods on board.
Ferries were previously tested in a complete body of research. Industrial professionals discovered that out of all ten ferries, 80% of them tested positive for a serogroup 2-14 strain, and 70% tested positive for a severe serogroup 1 strain of Legionella pneumophila
Providing adequate quality drinking water onboard marine vessels, ships, and off-shore installations for passengers and crew is a challenging, age-old problem that many professionals must tackle. Modern ships have extensive network distribution pipeworks and water storage systems that are incredibly complex.
These water distribution systems can provide those that aren't routinely maintained and cleaned. Systems can provide a suitable environment for microorganisms and bacteria to flourish and survive, which could be detrimental to those exposed.
The WHO (World Health Organisation) regulations and latest recommendations suggest that you call on employers and the master of the ship to ensure that any potable water gets thoroughly tested on its condition and water safety risks once every week.
Before loading fresh supplies on board, professionals in specialist areas must set transparent processes for any water testing. If discovered on the vessel, these resources and products could become contaminated with Legionella bacteria. Potable systems allow for drinking water supplies to board your ship.
Therefore, you must ensure it has come directly from approved sources by health authorities, as the water could mingle with harmful bacteria in the air and become affected. Ensure your ship undergoes frequent documented inspections; that way, when loading supplies, professionals can get quick access to this information to see if it is worthy of distributing with your company.
Typically, many cruise ships and commercial boat owners will employ designated staff or marine specialists to be responsible for ensuring safe, clean and uncontaminated water is brought on board, loaded and properly stored.
Health risks associated with potable water on ships?
Consider how many yachts, barges, motorboats and narrowboats people can rent out for leisure purposes to enjoy on their holidays. These are surely numbers in the hundreds and thousands. It's vital to ensure ocean liners and cruise ships are safe and suitable for passengers' accommodation and living conditions.
We can provide thorough risk assessments that comply with the health and safety standards and regulations that professionals and operators can use onboard during every maintenance and disinfection job.
These can help with the detection of any glaring hygiene issues and potential disasters. During various voyages, operations and journeys, chlorination and other procedures are used to disinfect your systems and keep water safe for drinking.
Several health issues and legionella risks onboard marine vessels and ships can be caused by the drinking waters and water facilities. If contaminated, your vessel and the water supply onboard can cause detrimental outbreaks of Legionella disease.
Plenty of research has shown a significant correlation between those who experienced illness onboard cruise ships and ships that had sewage contamination.
Whilst there could be various reasons why passengers have gotten sick on ships, if there are also problems with your sewage system, it's best to ensure you take suitable precautions to prevent these issues as best as you can.
Health risk factors to be aware of can come in wide varieties; something to be crucially aware of is the space that the ship offers, most of which is limited.
Plenty of the essential distribution pipes and drinking water storage tanks are located close together, and, if a luxury cruise ship, they tend to be stored out of guest view as it isn't the most pleasant to look at. Most of these pipes and tanks are kept close by sewage pipes and heat sources.
Your water systems and tanks being close by gigantic heaters and heat sources will be effective for ridding or killing off harmful Legionella bacteria that could be lingering inside. It's wise to remember that temperatures and pH levels above 50-60°C ensure a rapid demise.
Another health risk involved can come directly from older distribution pipework.
If these pipes begin to corrode, it can be detrimental to the water flowing through them; allowing all forms of metal to intermingle with and leach into the passengers drinking water you use and offer onboard.
The process of alternative purification involves the production of fresh water; however, using scientific methods known as evaporation, desalination techniques or performing reverse osmosis can be incredibly problematic, coming with a whole host of health issues to deal with.
What are the risks of Legionella bacteria on ships?
It's paramount that you know all the bigger risks of Legionella bacteria that can be found in various places of residence and forms of transport.
In many ways, hotels, offices, leisure centres, hospitals, and numerous other buildings worldwide can harbour dangerous water or airborne diseases, and bacteria like Legionella, off-shore and on ships are no different.
Legionella is a hazardous bacteria that grow expeditiously in stagnant water systems with poor management and a lack of regular maintenance. You may experience immense reputational damage in the aftermath of water or airborne disease on your cruise. Effective management is what will prevent these diseases from spreading.
Over time, this growth can lead to fatal conditions in the right circumstances, such as pneumonia, Legionnaires' disease and other waterborne pathogens risks.
The primary risk areas of Legionella bacteria on cruise ships are within the appliances such as spa pools, swimming pools, decorative fountains, showers, hot tubs, baths and virtually any potable water systems or devices that cause predominant water spray.
Unlike land-based systems, the situation differs widely and is usually more complex when onboard a ship.
Factors Affecting Legionella Risks Associated with Shipping
Chlorine cleaning, regular use, testing, and maintenance are vital for ensuring your water systems and tanks are safe for producing drinking water in your ship. For example, suppose showers and baths have not been used and cleaned for numerous days or weeks.
In that case, it's best to employ a marine specialist or competent staff member to keep up the maintenance and eliminate any stagnant or lingering bacteria.
Other appliances, such as whirlpools, decorative fountains, jacuzzis, hot tubs, and water features, are all water sources your passengers can contract Legionella-related illnesses.
Shipyard fitters and those shipping products and supplies have even died from Legionella after stripping down their equipment and products after being contaminated by water droplets or exposed to bacteria in the air.