Changing rooms Erasmus Sport closed due to Legionella

Two changing rooms in EUR’s sports building have been closed due to a water pipe having been contaminated with Legionella bacteria.

The ladies’ changing room near the gym at Erasmus Sport has been closed since the summer. A sign at the entrance to Erasmus Sport says that work is being carried out due to the facilities being ‘improved’. Now it has transpired that traces of Legionella were found in the changing room’s water pipes.

According to Jon de Ruijter, the Managing Director of Erasmus Sport, only the water pipe in the ladies’ dressing room has been contaminated. “When we performed tests last summer, we discovered that the Legionella bacterium level exceeded the legal threshold value.” As a result, the changing room was closed at once. Erasmus Sport’s other changing rooms were tested, as well. No elevated levels of Legionella were found there.

Pipes replaced

kleedkamer afgesloten legionella erasmus sport foto Elmer (2) — There is a sign at the entrance to the changing rooms themselves, too. This one says the rooms are closed due to a ‘technical malfunction’. Image credit: Elmer Smaling

The men’s changing room at the gym has been closed for the last two weeks, as well, since this room shares a water connection with the ladies’ changing room. In order to prevent new contaminations, the pipes in the changing rooms were replaced. “We’re lucky, in a way, that those two changing rooms each have their own connection. We owe the fact that the other changing rooms weren’t contaminated to that,” says De Ruijter.

By now work on the pipes has been completed. Erasmus Sport’s managing director hopes to be able to perform a new Legionella contamination test within the next two weeks. If no traces of Legionella bacteria are found then, the changing rooms will soon be reopened.