Yes, you can catch Legionnaires' disease from a shower. It is unlikely that you will catch the disease in your own home if you live there full time. However, you stand a higher chance of catching the disease from a shower in a gym, hotel, hospital, or office—anywhere with a large domestic water system.
Using temperature control
Where temperature is used to control the risk, hot water should be stored above 60°C, hot water distribution should be above 50°C and cold water storage and distribution should be below 20°C. Infrequently used outlets should be flushed out regularly and showerheads de-scaled and cleaned.
Certain scenarios or processes involving water may allow the bacteria to grow and multiply throughout a plumbing system. For example, a shower that is not often used will be more likely to contain stagnant water, perhaps in the shower head and perhaps in the pipework that leads to it.
Unusual Water Temperatures
Legionella bacteria thrive in temperatures between 20°C to 45°C, making warm water systems an ideal breeding ground. If your water temperatures shift outside of this range, it could indicate a potential Legionella risk.
Legionnaires' disease, the pneumonic form, has an incubation period of 2 to 10 days (but up to 16 days has been recorded in some outbreaks). Initially, symptoms are fever, loss of appetite, headache, malaise and lethargy. Some patients may also have muscle pain, diarrhoea and confusion.
What does Legionella smell like? If there is Legionella bacteria present in your water system, this might impact the smell. It could smell like sulphur or even rotten eggs.
How you get Legionnaires' disease. You can get Legionnaires' disease if you breathe in tiny droplets of water containing bacteria that cause the infection. It's usually caught in places like hotels, hospitals or offices where the bacteria have got into the water supply. It's less common to catch it at home.
Chloramines can also cause irritation of the respiratory tract. Bathing in contaminated water can cause certain health problems: Swimmer's itch (skin irritation caused by contact with small larvae called 'cercarias', which are found in some lakes) Gastroenteritis.
If your shower has not been used for a week or more, run water from both hot and cold supplies through the shower hose and showerhead for two minutes. To ensure no spray escapes from the showerhead, run it through a bucket of water or full bath.
Having a hot or prolonged shower/bath widens your blood vessels, increasing the risk of feeling faint (presyncopal) and increasing heart rate. If you do feel faint in the shower listen to your body, turn the shower off and sit down to avoid injury in case you faint. Finishing your shower with cool water may help.
Although it's possible to get Legionnaires' disease from home plumbing, most outbreaks have occurred in large buildings, perhaps because complex systems allow the bacteria to grow and spread more easily. Also, home and car air conditioning units don't use water for cooling.
Whenever a property is to be left unused for a time, weekly flushing is a good way to reduce the chances of any problems cropping up. It is easy to do and requires only a small amount of time. Each tap and water outlet (including showers) should be opened and left to run through for at least five minutes.
Safety advice. Ensure you turn on unused taps and showers and flush toilets at least once a week, including your outside tap if you have one. Clean, descale and disinfect your shower head at least every 3 months. (If you do not use your shower regularly, ensure it is turned on for at least five minutes each week).
More illness is usually found in the summer and early fall, but it can happen any time of year.
Domestic plumbing systems must be installed and maintained correctly to ensure the risk of Legionella growth is minimised and to reduce the risk of scalding. Regularly flush hot/warm water pipe lines (for example showers, taps) to prevent water stagnating. Regularly clean shower heads.
To reduce the risk of Legionella growth the HSE recommends the cleaning and descaling of shower heads and hoses at least every 3 months, which is why it is important to understand how to clean shower heads effectively and thoroughly.
A: No, water contaminated with Legionella bacteria does not typically have a distinctive smell or taste.
Chemical Disinfection. Chemical disinfectants, particularly oxidizing agents such as chlorine, chlorine dioxide, chloramine, and ozone, are widely used to control Legionella spp.
PCR is a fast and accurate way of detecting Legionella bacteria, often succeeding in detecting Legionella types when traditional methods fail; however, this method is traditionally more expensive, requires specialist equipment and results can be difficult to interpret.
Legionnaires' disease requires treatment with antibiotics. Most cases of this illness can be treated successfully. Identifying and treating the illness early can increase the chances of getting better. Healthy people usually get better after being sick with Legionnaires' disease, but they often need care in a hospital.
How quickly legionella grows in pipes depends on the conditions, but in some instances, it can multiply to the extent that it becomes an issue within just two weeks. Often it can take longer, but once it takes hold, it can be difficult to get under control.