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EMSD announces latest sampling results for Legionella bacteria at fresh water cooling towers
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     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) today (January 8) announced that the department tested 65 water samples collected from cooling towers in 55 buildings in its routine inspections in December 2015. One sample was detected to have a Legionella bacteria count at or above the upper threshold, which is 1 000 colony-forming units per millilitre. The latest statistics are set out in Annex 1.
     
     The cooling tower in which the sample was collected in December 2015 is located at Main Building, Kwong Wah Hospital, 25 Waterloo Road, Mong Kok. The EMSD has issued a nuisance notice under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance to the owner of this cooling tower requiring appropriate disinfection work to be done. Disinfection of the cooling tower in this case has already been completed by the owner. Details of this case, as well as the locations of buildings which were served with nuisance notices during the preceding three-month period as the Legionella bacteria count was found in the fresh water cooling towers to be equal to or above the upper threshold, can be found in Annex 2. The EMSD publishes the latest statistics of the above information on a half-monthly basis on its website
(www.emsd.gov.hk/en/other_regulatory_services/cooling_towers/water_sampling_of_fresh_water_cooling_towers_stat/index.html).
     
     The EMSD reminds the owners of fresh water cooling towers that they have the responsibility to design, operate and maintain cooling towers properly. They should arrange regular inspections, timely maintenance and periodic testing of the water quality in their cooling towers in accordance with the Code of Practice for Water-cooled Air Conditioning Systems issued by the department to prevent the proliferation of Legionella bacteria.

Ends/Friday, January 8, 2016
Issued at HKT 14:02

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