FORT WORTH, Texas _ American Airlines said it has found the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease in shower heads at its maintenance hangars at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.
The Fort Worth-based carrier said it tested water samples at four of its hangars on the west side of the airport and found varying levels of legionella bacteria. One employee contracted Legionnaires' disease but has since recovered and there is no evidence the employee contracted it at the hangars, American said.
"We've been very transparent throughout this process with our employees, updating them regularly on what we are doing to address the issues," said American spokesman Matt Miller. "We are working closely with DFW Airport and (local public health officials) on long term safety measures to ensure the cleanliness of the water at our maintenance hangars."
American said it is placing filters on all showers and faucets at its hangars and plans to test the filters repeatedly as well as replace them every 30 days. It is also providing bottled water to its employees even though ingesting legionella is not thought to cause the disease.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people contract Legionnaires' disease by breathing in mist that contains the bacteria such as in a shower, sauna or hot tub that has the legionella bacteria. Legionnaires' disease is similar to pneumonia, causing shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches and headaches.
In a memo posted at its DFW hangars on Friday, American said it will hold employee meetings with Dr. David Krause, an expert in legionella, in the coming weeks to address employee concerns.
It added that it has reached out to local authorities to determine if the bacteria is residing in the water supply that is coming in to the hangars.
"Since the bacteria is not localized, we believe larger action is needed to either increase the chlorine levels and/or disinfect the water supply," the memo said.
