Research suggests that anywhere from eight to eighteen thousand people in Canada need hospital care every year due to Legionnaires’ disease. Most people infected by the Legionella bacteria will suffer from pneumonia because the bacteria grows and thrives in the lungs. Since the Legionella bacteria is commonly found naturally in freshwater, many people contract the bacteria by inhaling the bacteria in contaminated building water supplies, cooling towers, pools, hot tubs, and fountains. The exposure takes place when people breathe in evaporated water or mist containing the bacteria.
