If a cooling tower tests 1200 CFU/mL for Legionella, what should be the immediate response?

Testing a cooling tower reveals a concentration of 1200 CFU/mL for Legionella, which indicates a significant presence of this pathogen. The immediate response in such cases is to disinfect and retest the affected cooling tower. This approach is vital because it helps to promptly reduce the bacterial levels and mitigate any potential health risks associated with Legionella exposure.

Disinfection typically involves procedures such as hyperchlorination or thermal treatments, which are specifically designed to kill Legionella bacteria. Following disinfection, retesting is crucial to ensure that the measures taken were effective and that bacterial levels have been brought down to acceptable limits. This step is essential for maintaining public health and ensuring the safety of the water systems in use.

While stopping the use of the cooling tower may seem like a sensible precaution, it doesn't directly address the contamination issue. Notifying the local health department is an important step as well, but it generally follows the immediate actions taken to manage the contamination. Increasing water temperature is not a standard immediate response in this scenario, as it could lead to other issues and does not effectively resolve the presence of Legionella at such high concentrations.