Legionella Testing

Legionella is a pathogenic group of bacteria that has the potential to cause Legionnaire's Disease and Pontiac Fever. Legionella bacterium are commonly found in natural water sources such as rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. They may also contaminate purpose-built water systems such as cooling towers, evaporative condensers, and hot and cold water systems and whirlpool spas, particularly at temperatures between 25°C and 45°C. As a result, health and safety law stipulates that any employer or person in control of a premises needs to take suitable precautions to prevent or control the risk of exposure to Legionella.

Intertek laboratories are able to conduct two distinct tests to support your preventative measures against Legionella:

• Legionella culture method: This is the standard test method. However, turnaround time for results can take up to 10 days.
• Legionella qPCR method: This is a molecular technique that is more sensitive and can produce results in hours. It is recommended for investigation work in the case of an outbreak or where organisations are looking for the source of a contamination, or the effectiveness of a decontamination.

Intertek is a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide. We understand the complexities faced in water management and compliance. From our state-of-the-art facilities, our highly skilled laboratory experts are capable of processing a vast number of Legionella samples per day. We use specialist methods based on the ISO standards to give our clients the confidence that the results they receive are to the highest standard.