Residential hot water infrastructure is a critical nexus of water, energy, and public health. In the United States its total energy demand exceeds that of the water and wastewater utility sectors combined, while building plumbing systems (especially hot water) are now the primary source of waterborne disease outbreaks caused by opportunistic premise plumbing pathogens (OPPPs) that include Legionella pneumophila, non-tuberculosis mycobacteria and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Disease rates and deaths attributed to OPPPs are increasing rapdily due to improved detection and reporting, increased populations of immunocompromised individuals, and changes in plumbing design that increase water and energy sustainability.  Improving the understanding the applied biology and chemistry factors that cause amplification of these pathogens and disease outbreaks in buildings, includes research on predator/prey/host/parasite interactions, disinfection, microbial nutrition, and beneficial/detrimental impacts of metallic corrosion. This presentation will summarize a decade of research supported by the Water Research Foundation, National Science Foundation and Sloan Foundation that has advanced understanding of the interplay between these factors in OPPP control. The key findings of this research include a discovery that it is not yet possible to control OPPPs by secondary disinfectants chlorine or chloramine, since neither disinfectant is complete effective, and tends to favor one type of pathogen versus another. Limiting nutrient strategies such as control of assimilable organic carbon (AOC) do not appear to be practically achievable in the United States, due to relatively high levels of AOC in water supplies and mechanisms which have been identified that generate AOC in premise plumbing. Selection of plumbing materials such as crosslinked polyethylene (PEX), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or copper also can also be influential, since copper is biostatic in some circumstances while PEX can encourage growth versus PVC pipes. There is also growing evidence that probiotics may be an important tool in controlling OPPP regrowth and waterborne disease.

Addressing the waterborne disease challenges of the 21st century with applied biology and chemistry: Opportunistic premise plumbing pathogens

248th National Meeting (2014)

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