Monday 17 November 2003 - News - Health and safety
Legionella bug found in 'cleansed' cider tower
A cooling tower at Britain's
largest cider manufacturer has again tested positive for the bug
which causes Legionnaires' disease, public health officials said
today.
Environmental Health experts said that although Hereford-based H P Bulmer had cleaned the equipment following an initial "presumptive positive result" for legionella, results of a test taken five days later on November 12 confirmed its continued presence.
Bulmers, whose products include Strongbow, has closed down the evaporation tower, though production is continuing.
The news follows an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the Hereford area, which according to Herefordshire Primary Care Trust has affected 23 people, including one man in his 70s who died. Health officials confirmed yesterday that another woman in her 70s thought to have been a second fatal victim of the bug, did not die from Legionnaires'.
Dr Brian McCloskey, regional head of the Health Protection Agency, said: "Although we still cannot be certain that plant on the H P Bulmer site is responsible for this outbreak, we have to bear the latest results in mind when looking at the epidemiology of this outbreak."
In a statement, H P Bulmer's general manager Willie Crawshay said: "Whilst it is still not certain that our production facility is responsible for the outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Hereford, we are treating this development with the greatest of urgency and are co-operating totally with the local task force to eradicate any residual contamination."
Paul Nicholas, Herefordshire Council's environmental health manager, added: "The discovery of legionella poses no risk to the safety of products manufactured by H.P. Bulmer Ltd at its Hereford site.
"We have no knowledge of the organism being present in, or transmitted by, an alcoholic drink such as cider."
Johnny Thomson
Environmental Health experts said that although Hereford-based H P Bulmer had cleaned the equipment following an initial "presumptive positive result" for legionella, results of a test taken five days later on November 12 confirmed its continued presence.
Bulmers, whose products include Strongbow, has closed down the evaporation tower, though production is continuing.
The news follows an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the Hereford area, which according to Herefordshire Primary Care Trust has affected 23 people, including one man in his 70s who died. Health officials confirmed yesterday that another woman in her 70s thought to have been a second fatal victim of the bug, did not die from Legionnaires'.
Dr Brian McCloskey, regional head of the Health Protection Agency, said: "Although we still cannot be certain that plant on the H P Bulmer site is responsible for this outbreak, we have to bear the latest results in mind when looking at the epidemiology of this outbreak."
In a statement, H P Bulmer's general manager Willie Crawshay said: "Whilst it is still not certain that our production facility is responsible for the outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Hereford, we are treating this development with the greatest of urgency and are co-operating totally with the local task force to eradicate any residual contamination."
Paul Nicholas, Herefordshire Council's environmental health manager, added: "The discovery of legionella poses no risk to the safety of products manufactured by H.P. Bulmer Ltd at its Hereford site.
"We have no knowledge of the organism being present in, or transmitted by, an alcoholic drink such as cider."
Johnny Thomson
