Eighth edition of the Spanish National Congress on Legionella and Environmental Quality

25/2/2019

On 20 and 21 February at the Terrassa branch of the National Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia, the Research Centre for Food Safety and Control (CRESCA UPC) organised the Eighth edition of the Spanish National Congress on Legionella and Environmental Quality. The Congress addressed topics such as air quality, hygiene conditions and risk factors for legionellosis.

The opening talk on the “Current situation of legionella” was given by María Luisa González, from the Subdirectorate General of Environmental Health, attached to the Catalan Ministry of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare. Congress participants included the most relevant experts in the field of legionella and environmental quality from public and private sectors.

With a practical focus, the first main block tackled aspects of the current Spanish and European regulatory framework for legionella. The latest prevention and control changes at European level were analysed and laboratory management regulations were reviewed.

In addition, more specific sectors such as car washing and irrigation installations were analysed. Other aspects that were reviewed were the presence of bacteria in cooling towers and evaporative condensers in Spain and the use of ozone to clean interior environments.

The second main block of the Congress was on environmental quality. Topics that were addressed were regulations, wastewater management, hospital infections relating to environmental quality, and the specific case of controlling environmental quality in the National Museum of Art of Catalonia (MNAC).

Around 150 people from around Spain participated in the Congress, which is already a benchmark in Catalonia and Spain.