I had new piping put in my house and the plumbers didn’t do the job right. Mold formed inside the house in three of the bedrooms and I became sick with pneumonia. It was later diagnosed as Legionnaires’ disease. Can Legionnaries’ disease be caused by mold? Or affect the air conditioner in my house where the spores would be spread around the house?
Legionella can be contracted, not by mold, but by the water in your home water distribution system. Your doctor is required to report your case to the Health Department, perhaps, they may culture your drinking water for Legionella. If you live in Pennsylvania, Ohio, or New York, these Health Departments will do this free for you in collaboration with our laboratory.
Although air conditioning is popularly thought to be linked to Legionnaires’ disease in the original 1976 American Legion outbreak, it is now known the source may have actually been the hotel water distribution system. The role of air conditioners in disseminating Legionnaires’ disease is not supported by scientific studies.