Legionella – the lethal bacteria affecting Police Scotland

Today it has been reported that Police Scotland’s training school has closed after potentially deadly legionella was discovered.

To date there are no confirmed reports of any people actually falling ill at the Tulliallan camp in Kincardine, Fife yet police chiefs have now taken protective steps until the bacteria is eradicated.

So what is legionella – and why is it such a concern?

Legionella is a kind of bacteria found in contaminated water, most commonly in places like air conditioning systems or showers.

It causes a type of pneumonia called Legionnaires’ Disease that in some cases has known to prove fatal.

People contract the condition if the inhale contaminated water vapour – that’s what make air conditioning contamination so deadly.

In 2012 there was a Legionnaires’ outbreak in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh - four people died and 92 others fell ill after being exposed to the bacteria.

And to this day the source of that outbreak has never been identified or confirmed.

This is what makes the latest incident at Tulliallan important – officials know where the bacteria is.

Legionella was reportedly discovered within five shower heads at a shower block in the Dunvegan complex at Tulliallan. 

Dozens of shower heads are understood to have been removed as the water system was subjected to intense cleaning and monitoring. 

Mark Gibson, Head of our Product Liability team, has experience in helping people affected by legionella outbreaks.

He said: “People will rightly be concerned about the presence of legionella at Tulliallan but they should equally feel assured that the source has been identified.

“It is a sad reality with Legionnaires’ Disease that as victims are identified the source can frequently remain a mystery – so this is actually a positive and hopefully it means the facilities can be cleaned and made safe.

“A common cause of such outbreaks is storage and distribution of hot water at insufficient temperature. Storage and distribution of cold water at above 20 degrees Celsius can also promote legionella growth in the system”

“Temperature checks should be taken at the taps furthest away from the heat source to see if it is reaching them at sufficient temperatures. 

“The likes of shower heads should be cleaned regularly.

“In a premises of this size, water samples should be analysed for Legionella periodically to demonstrate that bacteria counts are acceptable.

"Depending on the results of their risk assessments and sample results, it may also be advisable to do regular thermal and chemical shock treatment through the system and I suspect they will do so in response to this outbreak.”

Legionella safety guidelines are confirmed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) where officials make clear an approved Code of Practice for those who occupy large premises.

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