Sustainability in commercial plumbing focuses on modern pipe sizing to reduce material use and Legionella risk. Efficient layouts and lower-carbon materials like PEX and recycled PVC can lower greenhouse gas emissions, while improved equipment efficiency and training help reduce operational and embodied carbon emissions.

Legionella is a concerning bacteria found in freshwater environments. When inhaled, it can cause Legionnaire's disease, a severe form of pneumonia, especially dangerous for those with weakened immune systems.

Point-of-use (POU) water disinfection isn't just about public health; it's also an essential engineering strategy in modern water systems, tackling waterborne diseases by ensuring safe drinking water directly at the point of consumption.

Plumbing & Mechanical and PM Engineer Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke sits down with Legionella expert Dr. Janet Stout, PhD, to discuss best practice strategies in the plumbing industry for implementing risk assessments and Water Management Programs.

In my January column, I began a series focused on chemical and non-chemical additives or technologies that I treat as “must consider” for plumbing engineers in their design practices to reduce the risk of legionella bacteria developing in the domestic water system.

Many of the topics I have discussed in my column to this point have been about temperature considerations within the supply and return system based on recommendations in the community and right-sizing domestic water piping to reduce the overall volume of water in the building’s piping system.

Here are four facts about Legionella and why we as plumbing engineers should care.

By completing all eight modules, engineers can receive 0.25 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) through the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE), and all participants who complete the modules will receive a Certificate of Completion for the course

The two-day special session, hosted by NSF Health Sciences, an NSF International company, and the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), will also address how industries such as health care, water utilities, manufacturing and hospitality, as well as health departments and regulators, can better respond to water-related challenges during a major health crisis.

In 1976, while attending an American Legion Convention at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel, 211 people became ill and 34 of them died from what was thought to be a previously unknown type of bacterial pneumonia.