Newcastle-under-Lyme, United Kingdom (22nd August, 2012) - The Cleaning Shop, a leading online supplier of cleaning supplies and janitorial cleaning products, comment on how businesses can prevent the potential spreading of legionnaire’s disease, following the legionella outbreak in Stoke on Trent in July 2012.

The outbreak was declared over by the Health Protection Agency on 17th August 2012, and the organisation revealed that the probable source is a hot tub that was on display at JTF Warehouse at Fenton, Stoke on Trent. The hot tub has now been decommissioned and there are no more cases of legionnaire’s diseases suspected to stem from this outbreak.

The Health Protection Agency says that 21 cases of legionella were caused by this particular outbreak; two of which resulted in the deaths of men aged from their mid-sixties to -seventies.

Around 350 cases of legionnaire’s disease are reported each year in England, with men and those aged over fifty more susceptible to the illness.

The legionella bacterium is widely present in natural environments and also manmade hot and cold water systems, with hot tubs and spa pools being an identified risk area. The bacteria spreads through the air from a water source; often when a hot tub is switched on, air and water are sprayed through the jets after stagnating over time in pipes and nozzles.

The bacterium is not spread from person to person; rather, people become infected when they inhale the bacteria. Once in the lungs, the bacterium multiplies and causes either pneumonia or a less serious flu-like illness, such as Pontiac fever.

The Cleaning Shop advises that control methods and other precautions should be identified and recorded together with the maintenance work being carried out. This will include ensuring that pipes are regularly cleaned and treated for legionella as well as ensuring that the release of water spray is properly controlled.

The Cleaning Shop also recommends that pipes and other fittings and spray release points are properly de-scaled and then sanitised with an approved sanitiser.

A spokesperson for The Cleaning Shop commented: “Many people make the mistake of not allowing the sanitiser the correct contact time; this being no less than 30 minutes at the manufacturers’ recommended dilution.

“Since the outbreak in Stoke on Trent we have received many calls from businesses concerned about the cleaning maintenance of their spa pools, and our advice is to properly de-scale, then sanitise with an approved product. Our Sanitiser Concentrate has been independently tested effective against Legionella by the British Analytical Board, and is therefore an ideal product to use to defend against this specific bacterium.”

For more information on The Cleaning Shop’s range of sanitisation cleaning supplies, please visit www.thecleaningshopuk.com

About The Cleaning Shop:
Since 1996, The Cleaning Shop has been supplying customers throughout the UK with a wide range of cleaning supplies, janitorial supplies, paper disposables and protective clothing. Their customer base includes nursing homes, offices, beauty salons, schools, restaurants and manufacturing organisations, in addition to individual, domestic clients seeking safe, biodegradable and efficient cleaning products.

Contact:
Claire Kent
Unit 20 Network Centre
High Carr Business Park
Millenium Way
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Staffordshire, UK
Zip: ST5 7XE
Tel: 0845 521 5155
Email: [email protected]