Document: NUREG-1555
Document ID: ccbea725-7fae-4453-bfec-b565c95a8e44
Document Type: esrp
Title: IMPACTS TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
Source: NUREG-1555
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1555/initial/
Revision Date: 2007-10
Chapter: 5
Section ID: 5.3.4
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
waters. Infectious Legionella sp. were found in 7 of 11 test waters and 5 of 11 source waters (NRC 1996). October 1999 5.3.4-9 NUREG-1555 An additional study of Legionella sp. presence in the environs of coal-fired electric power plants showed that Legionella was only infrequently found in locations that were not adjacent to cleaning operations. It was concluded that exposure to Legionella sp. from power-plant operations was a potential problem for part of the workforce, but that it would not be a public-health issue because concentrated aerosols of the bacteria would not traverse plant boundaries (NRC 1996). Because the route of infection with Naegleria sp. is through inhalation, workers exposed to aerosols that could harbor this pathogen should have respiratory protection. Although the observed risk from N. fowleri is low, heavily used bodies of fresh water merit special attention and possibly routine monitoring for pathogenic Naegleria sp. Because Naegleria sp. concentrations in fresh water can be increased by thermal additions, nuclear power plants that utilize cooling lakes, canals, ponds, or small rivers may enhance the naturally occurring thermophilic organisms. Although this issue is largely unstudied, the staff recognize a potential health problem stemming from heated effluents. Factors that affect the distribution of Legionella and the free-living pathogenic amoebae (including Naegleria sp.) are not well understood. Rapid tests for their detection and procedures for their control are not yet available. However, since Legionellosis is a respiratory disease and because the route of infection by N. fowleri is through the nasal passage, the use of appropriate respiratory protection is a necessity for controlling any potential exposure. Occupational health questions are currently resolved using proven industrial-hygiene principles to minimize worker exposures to these organisms in mists of cooling towers. Public-health questions require additional