The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) and Department of Public Health are urging reopening businesses to thoroughly flush and inspect water and air conditioning systems.
These systems may have contained standing water while the building was closed, and that standing water can lead to public health implications such as Legionalla and other bacterial infections. ADEM notes that flushing the system can help remove trace amounts of lead that may have built up while the system was not in use.
An Alabama press release links to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control on air handling and water system maintenance following a prolonged building closure.
