Biofilm Monitor Successful In Reducing Legionella Risk In Hospital Water Treatment

At a treatment plant with anti-legionella procedures in place, chlorine dioxide dosing intended to minimise Legionella risk was periodically stopped to monitor the response of the biofilm sensor.

Over a period of 6 months, repeated tests found that the biofilm monitor reliably reported an increased risk once dosing was stopped and reported a decreased risk once chlorine dioxide dosing was resumed.

These tests were conducted on a recirculating hot water installation, supplying a hospital in Italy with more then 1000 beds. Longer term tests conducted 13 months after installation found that the sensor responded as it did when new!

For these reasons the Italian company D.M.D. S.r.l is happy to recommend the use of the BioSense biofilm monitor and CRATOS controller system for monitoring of biofilm and for biofilm control. This recommendation even applies for hospital water systems, of particular concern in the fight against legionnaires disease due to the close proximity of immuno-suppressed patients.

Common sources of Legionella or Pseudomonas bacterium can be hospitals, airports, government buildings, hotels and large office blocks. Measuring residual biocide in a body of water is only half the story, the other is that whilst this measure remains low, biofilm can be building up on the pipe and other vessel walls. The bacteria grows in biofilms that sticks to the walls of piping or other vessels.

The Biofilm monitor and sensor provided by Pi allows for the monitoring of biofilm directly, and the dosing of an appropriate chemical to remove the biofilm before it can build up to a critically dangerous level of Legionella or Pseudomonas bacteria. Biofilm build-ups in industrial water systems such as cooling towers are the cause of multiple outbreaks of legionnaires disease every year, and the BioSense biofilm sensor provides an effective and competitively priced solution.