No further evidence of Legionnaires
Disease, as Physical Plant employee recovers

The following information is provided in the interest of full public disclosure about a work-related employee illness. The purpose is to assure the public that the campus population has not been exposed, the disease is not contagious, an effective treatment for anyone who has been exposed is available, and steps are being taken to avoid any further exposure. 

An employee of the Arkansas State University Physical Plant is recovering at home after being treated successfully for an illness commonly known as "Legionnaires Disease."  Michael Sprinkle, who has worked for the Physical Plant for the past four years, feels much better now that his illness has been diagnosed and his medical treatment has him on the road to recovery.

In the meantime, Arkansas State University is taking all precautions to ensure that no one else has been infected. According to health authorities, the condition is fully treatable and is not contagious. The university students, faculty and staff are not in any danger. No other cases have been reported.

Sprinkle is believed to have been infected by legionella bacteria while performing routine maintenance duties inside a cooling tower, a major outdoor component of a building’s air conditioning system.

Initially, he had symptoms of pneumonia, but further medical tests confirmed that his illness was Legionnaires Disease. Six other Physical Plant employees who also have worked inside cooling towers in recent weeks are undergoing x-rays and blood tests today (Wednesday, May 2) as a precautionary measure, although none of the six have reported symptoms associated with the illness.

Jerrel Fielder, assistant vice president of facilities at ASU, emphasized that no one else has been put at risk "unless they have been in one of the cooling towers." Only Physical Plant employees have access to the towers. Exposure is work-related only, so the public is not in danger.

"Of course, we very pleased that Mike is making a full recovery, and we look forward to having him back at work," Fielder said.

Fielder said the legionella bacteria can thrive within a narrow temperature range and the warm, moist conditions which are typical for the inside of a cooling tower. In the first recorded outbreak of the illness, from which it received its name, the ailment was believed to have been spread through a hotel’s ventilation system. That could not happen at ASU, Fielder explained, because none of the building air intakes are positioned near the cooling towers.

Every possible measure is being taken to ensure that the problem is contained immediately and no one else will be put at risk, according to Jennus Burton, vice president for finance and administration.

He has authorized the installation of an automated chemical application system to maintain the proper chemistry levels in all towers. The automated system maintains several water quality and biological parameters. Currently, a Physical Plant employee regularly applied chemical treatment to the cooling tower water, but Burton believes the automated systems will be more effective.

In the meantime, Fielder authorized a chemical "shock" treatment to essentially "sterilize" the cooling tower water and arrest further bacterial growth.  An independent commercial laboratory periodically tests the water in the university’s cooling towers. After reporting abnormally high bacterial concentrations at the end of March, the lab is scheduled to run new tests Thursday (May 3). The results should confirm that the university’s chemical intervention techniques have successfully removed all contamination in the cooling tower water.

Tests in late March shows bacterial concentrations outside the normal range in four cooling towers on campus: those serving the College of Business; the Health, Physical Education and Sports Sciences Complex; the College of Agriculture; and the Chickasaw Building.

Sprinkle had worked in three of those units, one of which is suspected as the likely source of his infection.

Maintenance of the cooling towers is usually conducted once per year, at the beginning of the cooling season. The Physical Plant staff cleans accumulated dirt and sludge from the cooling tower basin and perform other maintenance tasks as needed. Sprinkle and the other employees recently were performing this activity when he evidently was exposed.

The university is today notifying everyone on campus about the incident in order to inform them about the case, and to assure them that no one else is in danger. However, anyone who thinks they may have been exposed is encouraged to contact the Occupational Safety Office, 972-3217, as soon as possible so that testing can be arranged.

NewsPage: asunews.astate.edu/newspage.htm  |  Back to TOP  |