Recent developments have resulted in a new, higher standard of care for building owners and managers. ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188-2015, Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems, was published on June 26th, 2015. It was the first industry consensus standard addressing Legionnaires’ disease. The slides outline these new standards and further information about Legionella and other environmental pathogens.

1. www.vertexeng.com
Cooling Towers:
New Standards-of-Care

2. www.vertexeng.com
A cooling tower is a heat rejection device that
transfers heat to the atmosphere through the evaporative
cooling of water.

3. www.vertexeng.com
Cooling towersvary widely in size, design
and application; they are used to air condition buildings
and to remove heat from a wide range of commercial and
industrial processes.

4. www.vertexeng.com
Operation of cooling towers involves water
temperatures and other conditions that can support the
proliferation and transmission of pathogenic bacteria, such
as Legionella.

5. www.vertexeng.com
Legionnaires’ disease -
A serious, often-fatal pneumonia, caused
by inhalation of Legionella.

6. www.vertexeng.com
On June 26, 2015, the American
Society of Heating Refrigeration
and Air Conditioning Engineers
(ASHRAE) published Standard 188,
the first industry-consensus
standard for managing the risk of
Legionnaires’ disease associated
with building water systems.

7. www.vertexeng.com
Standard 188 provides a
systematic framework for
evaluating and managing the
risk of Legionnaires’ disease
associated with building water
systems, including cooling
towers, based on the
principles of Hazard Analysis
and Critical Control Point
(HACCP).

8. www.vertexeng.com
Standard 188 established a
new, higher standard of care for
domestic (potable) water systems
and cooling towers.

9. www.vertexeng.com
In the Summer of 2015, a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak
in the South Bronx was attributed to Legionella-
contaminated cooling towers.
133 cases were confirmed, resulting in 16 deaths.
The outbreak was the largest in the history of New York City.

10. www.vertexeng.com
In response to the South Bronx
outbreak, New York City and New York
State have passed new rules and
regulations that incorporate the
cooling tower provisions of Standard
188. More regulations are in the
works.
Other States are expected to follow
New York’s lead.
The new rules and regulations incorporate the
cooling tower provisions (§7.2) of Standard 188.

11. www.vertexeng.com
VERTEX has formed a
specialized practice,
drawing on our proven
strengths, to provide highly
professional Legionella risk
management and
compliance services.
VERTEX has teamed with
Gordon & Rosenblatt -
experts in the prevention
of Legionnaires’ disease -
to help guide this
important new practice.
GORDON & ROSENBLATT

12. www.vertexeng.com
Benjamin Strong
Executive Vice President
bstrong@vertexeng.com
THE VERTEX COMPANIES, INC.
398 Libbey Parkway
Weymouth, MA 02189
888.298.5162
Contact Information
Erik Borgesen
Vice President, Air Quality
eborgesen@vertexeng.com
THE VERTEX COMPANIES, INC.
398 Libbey Parkway
Weymouth, MA 02189
888.298.5162