Delta Cooling Towers will display the World’s first anti-microbial cooling tower at this month’s AHR Expo in Las Vegas.

Legionella, the bacteria that causes potentially fatal Legionnaire’s Disease, and other strains of deadly pathogens that are hosted by some cooling towers, have been reduced by the development of a unique anti-microbial high-density polyethylene  (HDPE) material designed by Delta Cooling.

Delta, which pioneered the HDPE cooling tower in the 1970s, has just launched a line of towers constructed of anti-microbial resin, which is fully compounded into the base cooling tower material. The anti-microbial resin contains additives that operate on a cellular level to continuously disrupt and prevent uncontrolled growth of microorganisms and biofilm within the cooling tower. Special Pathogens Laboratory performed efficacy tests.

“Without consistent, competent water treatment, the legionella risk is not completely eliminated, even with the new antimicrobial cooling tower,” said John Flaherty, president of Delta Cooling Towers,. “While cooling tower conditions are often managed by water treatment chemicals, such treatment is sometimes inadequate and poor piping designs, lead to ‘dead legs,’ creating an environment in which pathogens – including Legionella – can thrive.”

Flaherty adds that cooling tower design and materials can be very significant in the prevention of pathogen growth.