Windscreen (windshield) wiper water may be the cause of 20% of cases of Legionnaires' disease in England and Wales according to a report from the UK Health Protection Agency (HPA). Adding screen wash kills the Legionella bacterium and could save lives, the Agency advised.
The report discovered people who spend a long time driving are at higher risk of infection; with professional drivers five times more likely to be infected. (WCxKit)
A research team of the HPA carried out a questionnaire of people infected. They found those most at risk drove or travelled in a van, drove through industrial areas, and spent a lot of time in the car or often had the car window open.
The biggest risk was associated with not adding screen wash to windscreen wiper water, the European Journal of Epidemiology reports.
In a pilot study carried out by the HPA, traces of Legionella were found in one in five cars without screen wash, but in no cars with screen wash. (WCxKitz)
Windscreen wiper fluid without added screen wash in motor vehicles: a newly identified risk factor for Legionnaires’ disease is reported in the European Journal of Epidemiology, Published online: June 8, 2010.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers’ Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.
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