ASHRAE Legionella Standard Serves as Basis for New CDC Toolkit

ATLANTA, Ga. – Guidance from an ASHRAE standard regarding development and implementation of a water management program to reduce building risk for legionella is the basis of a new toolkit by the Centers for Disease Control.

The toolkit, “Developing a Water Management Program to Reduce Legionella Growth and Spread in Buildings: A Practical Guide to Implementing Industry Standards,” was recently released. It provides a checklist to help identify if a water management program is needed, examples to help identify where legionella could grow and spread in a building and ways to reduce risk of contamination.

The toolkit is based on ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188-2015, Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems.

The toolkit was announced via the CDC’s Vital Signs, a monthly update from CDC that highlights topics of public health interest. This is the first time legionella has been highlighted in Vital Signs.

An earlier version of the toolkit was developed by the CDC, the state of Michigan and Genesee County to encourage at-risk building owners in Flint, Michigan, to design and implement Standard 188 compliant water management plans. ASHRAE took part in a town hall meeting there to educate officials about the risks.

Standard 188 can be previewed at no cost at https://www.ashrae.org/Standard188. The toolkit is available at www.cdc.gov/legionella.