Water quality plays a vital role in the sterilization of medical devices. Failing to ensure the water used meets the correct purity requirements can lead to adverse patient outcomes, medical device malfunction, and increased costs. The new ANSI/AAMI ST108:2023 standard addresses this issue by enhancing the recommendations for water used in reprocessing medical devices. Hospital… Read more »
Hidden Exposures in Higher Education
Chemical exposures in laboratories, ear-splitting noise from groundskeeping equipment, and off-gassing from the newly installed building materials in offices – our colleges and universities may contain numerous environmental hazards FACS knows the difficult task and surmountable effort required to keep buildings and classrooms reasonably free from environmental contaminants and safe for occupants. Our mission is… Read more »
Cooling Towers and Legionnaires’ Disease: What Every Facility Manager Needs to Know
Cooling towers may look like they’re just another piece of equipment—humming away to help keep your facility comfortable. But what if, hidden inside the cooling tower, there’s a threat that could negatively impact your facility and the health of those around it? Within weeks, up to 221 people were symptomatic, and 34 expired from the illness. Physicians… Read more »
Lead in School Drinking Water
Is School Water Safe to Drink? The reality is that lead in school drinking water continues to be a serious concern, with children in many schools potentially drinking water with dangerous levels of lead. Even when water entering a facility meets all federal and state public health standards for lead concentrations, older plumbing materials found… Read more »
Recent Updates to AIHA Legionella Guidelines
If you’re concerned about water quality monitoring, water management plans, how to sample building water after prolonged closures, or Legionella prevention, here’s some welcome news: the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) released an updated edition of their “Recognition, Evaluation, and Control of Legionella in Building Water Systems” guide. The AIHA is one of the leading… Read more »
Guide to PPB and “Safe” Lead Levels In Water: Understanding the Standards
Sampling for Mold in Healthcare Settings Lead contamination in drinking water can cause severe health issues, such as learning disabilities in children and high blood pressure and kidney damage in adults. According to WHO and the EPA, no amount of lead in drinking water is considered safe. Exposure to lead, even at low levels, can… Read more »
Complying with The Joint Commission’s New Water Management Standard
Did you know that on January 1, 2022, The Joint Commission’s new water management standard for healthcare facilities went into effect? This new standard (EC.02.05.02, EPs 1 through 4) supersedes the previous version (EC.02.05.01, EP 14) which “addressed the need for healthcare organizations to minimize pathogenic biological agents in cooling towers, domestic hot- and cold-water… Read more »
Lead Water Testing for Schools: What’s Coming Down the Pipe?
School lead water testing…we did that already, didn’t we? Yes, but there are signs indicating there is more to come. The voluntary program launched by the State Water Resources Control Board in 2017 formally ended in July of 2019. However, recent legislation requires testing lead in water for all licensed Child Care Centers (CCCs) in… Read more »
Review of Lead in Water Testing Requirements for California Childcare Centers
Lead in drinking water presents very real public health risks, especially for children. In children, lead exposure can cause damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth and development, learning and behavior problems, and hearing and speech problems. No safe level of lead exposure in children has been identified. The latest round in the… Read more »
Managing Waterborne Pathogen Risks During Hospital Construction
All demolition, construction, and renovation activities in healthcare facilities — whether planned or unplanned — require a pre-construction risk assessment (PCRA). Some guidance documents refer to this procedure as an “Infection Control Risk Assessment” (ICRA). The Joint Commission’s Environment of Care Standard establishes the framework. Certain concerns tend to get the most attention during renovation… Read more »
Legionella Treatment: Approaches to Disinfection
Prompted by the abundance of news coverage around COVID-19, a public radio station in Illinois recently broadcast a story about another threat to public health — one that’s often overlooked: 569 cases of Legionnaires’ Disease (Legionellosis) were reported in the state of Illinois alone in 2019. 43 of those patients died. Nationwide, there were almost… Read more »
Lead in School Drinking Water: Are Students at Risk?
You’re attending an event at a public school, and you’re thirsty. Your choices are to buy a soft drink from the machine or refill your empty water container at the drinking fountain in the hallway. You’d prefer a cold bottle of spring water, but that selection is sold out. Question: Would you have any fear… Read more »
Legionella & Legionnaires’ Disease – Frequently Asked Questions
Legionella & Legionnaires’ Disease are environmental health issues that FACS experts often receive questions about. Given that Legionella was discovered less than 50 years ago and is a relatively “young” subject among environmental health issues, there are lots of questions to be asked. On March 5th, 2019, FACS’ Legionella Expert Megan Canright, MPH, CIH, partnered… Read more »
Legionnaires’ Disease Prevention and Control
A brief account of the first Legionnaires’ disease crisis: On July 27th, three days after returning home from the 1976 American Legion convention in Philadelphia, Ray Brennan died of what appeared to be a heart attack. Within days, four other Legionnaires had passed away. By August 9th, the death count was at 27.1 Three of… Read more »