But it's a very serious disease when it gets into the lungs, causing pneumonia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has teamed up with the Ohio Department of Health to investigate 10 other possible cases of the disease in workers who had pneumonia. Health investigators were securing water samples from the plant's shower stalls, drinking fountains, and other areas where there is water to pinpoint the source. Legionnaires' disease is a form of pneumonia that is spread by inhalation of the mist from contaminated water. It does not spread from one person to the next.
Most outbreaks stem from water contaminated with the germ.
The worker who died last Friday had likely worked near the plant cooling tower, and Horgan also said two subcontractors who have had pneumonia symptoms worked near the tower. Others who became ill were in the same area. The disease was first identified during an outbreak at the 1976 American Legion convention in Philadelphia. It often starts off with a high fever interspersed with chills. Other symptoms include cough and shortness of breath.