LINCOLN, N.H. — Five people who were recently diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease may have been exposed to contaminated water droplets from a cooling tower behind a New Hampshire resort hotel, health officials announced Monday.
All five people may have been exposed to contaminated water droplets from a cooling tower behind the RiverWalk Resort at Loon Mountain in downtown Lincoln in June and July, according to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.
Testing confirmed the presence of Legionella bacteria contaminating the cooling tower and the RiverWalk is now working with the DHHS to address the contamination, officials said.
Because the cooling tower is still in operation while remediation is ongoing, there may continue to be some risk of exposure to the public, especially for people within a half-mile of the cooling tower’s location, officials warned.
“Anybody who has visited the area near the contaminated cooling tower should monitor themselves for symptoms,” New Hampshire State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said in a news release.
Legionnaires’ disease is a bacterial pneumonia caused by inhaling water droplets contaminated with Legionella bacteria.
Most healthy people who are exposed to Legionella bacteria do not get sick or show only mild symptoms. However, the bacteria can cause a more serious pneumonia called Legionnaires’ disease, which can be fatal if left untreated.
“People who develop fever or other symptoms of pneumonia within 14 days after spending time in this area should talk to their healthcare provider about testing for Legionella infection,” Chan advised.
Legionella are naturally occurring environmental bacteria that can grow in water systems and infect people who breathe in contaminated droplets from showers, hot tubs, faucets, cooling towers, misters, and decorative fountains.
In 2023, a Massachusetts resident died after contracting Legionnaires’ disease at the Mountain View Grand Resort in Whitefield, New Hampshire.
Anyone with questions about this investigation or Legionnaires’ disease can call DPHS at 603-271-4496.
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