Legionella in Water in New Psychiatric Building in Växjö Addressed with Swedish System
In mid-May, elevated levels of the bacteria Legionella were discovered in the water of the new specialist psychiatric building at the Sigfrids area in Växjö. After taking traditional measures to address the problem, Region Kronoberg is now installing a Swedish hypochlorous acid system in the building to combat the bacteria.
When elevated levels of the bacteria Legionella were detected earlier this spring, Region Kronoberg immediately took actions to reduce the risk of anyone contracting Legionnaires’ disease. New shower hoses and heads with Legionella filters were installed, and all showers and faucets were flushed with hot water.
The results of a new test in May showed the presence of Legionella even in the cold water pipes, indicating that the measures taken were insufficient. Therefore, a system from the Swedish company Anolytech for dosing hypochlorous acid directly into the incoming water is now being installed.
“During a routine sampling, elevated levels were detected, and we therefore expanded the testing. It then turned out that the problem exists throughout the entire building, including the cold water pipes. We are now trying to tackle the problem using a Swedish method that involves continuously dosing a low concentration of hypochlorous acid into the water to remove viruses and bacteria,” says Patrik Hjelm, property manager at Region Kronoberg.
The company behind the new hypochlorous acid method is Anolytech, a Swedish company located near Ystad. They produce AnoDes, a unique pH-optimized hypochlorous acid made from water, salt, and electricity, which kills and prevents the growth of bacteria, viruses, mold, fungi, and spores. In addition to handling Legionella issues, AnoDes eliminates the need to replace shower hoses/heads and flush thousands of liters of water through the pipes during Legionella control, as disinfection is ongoing.
AnoDes production takes place on-site with continuous dosing into the building’s incoming water. The system is approved according to EN standard 13623 (Quantitative suspension test for the evaluation of bactericidal activity against Legionella of chemical disinfectants for aqueous systems).
“The problems in Växjö show that Legionella bacteria can spread even in cold water pipes, while new research indicates that it can survive at temperatures up to 70 degrees Celsius. Therefore, new methods are required to reduce the risk of infection,” says Stefan Fischlein, founder and CEO of Anolytech, who has developed an environmentally friendly method for water disinfection in competition with traditional methods such as strong chemicals, ultraviolet lamps (UV light), or filters that need regular replacement.
Legionella bacteria are normally present in small quantities in regular water, both in natural water bodies, groundwater, and water pipes. The number of bacteria is usually too small to cause disease, but under certain conditions, the amount can increase.
Since 2005, Swedish Anolytech has been developing and selling an alcohol-free and circular disinfection technology that kills bacteria, viruses, mold, fungi, and spores through environmentally friendly disinfection of water, hands, and surfaces. The technology was recently certified according to the standards EN 1500 (hand disinfection) and EN 14476 (chemical disinfectants and antiseptics), and previously met the standards for disinfectants EN 13624, EN 13623, EN 13610, EN 17272, EN 14476, EN 13697, and EN 13727. Customers are located in Europe within agriculture, food production, hotels and properties, the public sector, and healthcare.
