Legionella are bacteria that can cause disease. When you shower, they are rinsed out of the shower head in tiny water droplets. Legionella enter the lungs in water via the respiratory passages. In healthy people, they are unlikely to cause illness. But people with a weakened immune system can become infected with legionnaires’ disease.
To protect yourself against being infected with legionnaires’ disease and to maintain the high quality of the drinking water, it is important to fully exchange the tap water after a long period of non-use. “Our drinking water has to be replaced after 72 hours at the latest, otherwise the water in the pipes quickly becomes a paradise for germs and bacteria such as legionella,” says Beat Aebi, Product Manager Piping Systems International at Geberit.