Tratamientos y diseños alternativos de las instalaciones de riesgo de proliferación de Legionella Neumophila

Abstract

La dilatada experiencia del autor en el campo de la ingeniería de mantenimiento hospitalario, ha servido de base para sugerir distintas alternativas para prevenir la aparición de la bacteria Legionella neumophila en las instalaciones de riesgo. Lo que se pretende con las recomendaciones propuestas de diseño, uso y tratamiento de dichas instalaciones, es crear en ellas entornos hostiles para la vida microbiana y especialmente para la legionela, combinando métodos físicos y químicos. De esta forma lograremos disminuir las poblaciones de la bacteria, por debajo de los niveles que a la luz de los conocimientos actuales, resultan infectivos.Se describen opciones diferentes a los métodos de tratamiento tradicionales, que permiten obtener los mismos resultados minimizando los riesgos, tanto para las personas como para el medio ambiente. También se exponen los resultados de varios experimentos, mediante los cuales se ha intentado conocer como se comportan las instalaciones y los materiales que las componen, frente a la agresión que producen los métodos biocidas. Y por último, se comparan los distintos tipos de instalaciones centralizadas de producción y almacenamiento de agua caliente y se estudian las ventajas e inconvenientes de cada una de ellas.Las propuestas que se formulan pretenden tres cosas y por este orden: controlar las poblaciones de legionela evitando que originen la enfermedad en las personas, proteger las instalaciones en las que puede desarrollarse la bacteria, y en la medida de lo posible, evitar daños al medio ambiente derivados del vertido de sustancias peligrosas.

The author's extensive experience in the field of hospital maintenance engineer, has served as a basis to suggest alternatives to prevent the occurrence of Legionella neumophila bacteria in hazard installations. The intention with the recommendations proposed design, use and management of such facilities is to create in them hostile environments for microbial life and especially for legionella, combining physical and chemical methods. In this way we can decrease the bacteria populations, below the levels in light of current knowledge, are infective.Describes different options to traditional treatment methods, which can obtain the same results while minimizing risks for both people and the environment. It also presents the results of several experiments, by which an attempt to know how they behave facilities and materials that compose them, against the aggression that produce biocides methods. Finally, we compare the different types of centralized production and storage of hot water and study the advantages and disadvantages of each.The proposals aim to formulate three things in this order: legionella control populations originating preventing disease in people, protect facilities in which bacteria can grow, and as far as possible to avoid damage to the environment of discharges of hazardous substances.

The author's extensive experience in the field of hospital maintenance engineer, has served as a basis to suggest alternatives to prevent the occurrence of Legionella neumophila bacteria in hazard installations. The intention with the recommendations proposed design, use and management of such facilities is to create in them hostile environments for microbial life and especially for legionella, combining physical and chemical methods. In this way we can decrease the bacteria populations, below the levels in light of current knowledge, are infective.Describes different options to traditional treatment methods, which can obtain the same results while minimizing risks for both people and the environment. It also presents the results of several experiments, by which an attempt to know how they behave facilities and materials that compose them, against the aggression that produce biocides methods. Finally, we compare the different types of centralized production and storage of hot water and study the advantages and disadvantages of each.The proposals aim to formulate three things in this order: legionella control populations originating preventing disease in people, protect facilities in which bacteria can grow, and as far as possible to avoid damage to the environment of discharges of hazardous substances.