Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak: How a Dirty Air Conditioner Might Endanger Your Health
Legionnaires’ disease first entered the news almost 50 years ago when, according to The Legionnaires' Lawyer , 34 people died from a mysterious respiratory ailment. The same illness emerged again when 12 people at Disneyland became infected with the lung disease, with one fatality. Clues left for investigators to sort out were that the individuals ranged in age from 52 to 94. One was an employee at the park, eight were visitors and three had not visited the park but had been in Anaheim, California, where Disneyland is located. It ended up being someone who hadn’t been to the theme park who died. “Atypical” symptoms include pneumonia, headaches, nausea, diarrhea, muscle aches and mental confusion. According to Dr. Pamela Hymel, chief medical officer for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, the source was traced to two cooling towers, in which elevated levels of Legionella bacteria were found. The towers, while summarily shut down and disinfected, 2 were more than 100 feet from public are...