Wayne State University has shut down the the cooling tower of its historic Old Main building because preliminary tests suggest it is contaminated with legionella bacteria.

William Decatur, Wayne State's vice president of finance and business operations, sent an email Tuesday to students, faculty and staff explaining that university protocol requires that when the bacteria are detected, "the cooling towers are immediately taken off line so they can be disinfected and cleaned. Therefore, the Old Main cooling system has been shut down. There will be no air conditioning or cooling fans in Old Main during this time."

Legionella bacteria also have been found in three hot water tanks at Ford Motor Co.'s Dearborn Diversified Manufacturing Plant, which employs about 700 people and is among several plants at the Rouge Complex, said Kelli Felker, the company's manufacturing and labor communications manager.

Notification was posted June 20 that small amounts of the bacteria — 2, 2 and 6 CFU/mL — were found during testing, she said. The tanks have been treated, and retesting will occur in early July, she said.

Legionella bacteria are found naturally in lakes and streams, but can also grow in places like hot tubs, fountains, cooling towers, spas and water systems. When water droplets, mist or vapor carrying the bacteria are inhaled, they can make people sick with Legionnaires' disease, a serious form of pneumonia.

Legionnaires' disease can be deadly, especially when it infects vulnerable people, such as those older than 50; smokers and former smokers; those with chronic lung diseases; people with weakened immune systems because of other illnesses such as diabetes, cancer or kidney failure, and people who take immunosuppressant medications.

WSU spokesman Ted Montgomery said no cases of Legionnaires' disease have been associated with the contamination of the Old Main cooling tower on the Detroit campus, and that the bacteria were detected in a preliminary finding.

"We have to wait several days to get the final results, but we don't wait for final results to leap into action by shutting down of the cooler tower, letting the campus know and triggering our remediation process," Montgomery said. He noted the bacteria were found during routine water sample testing. He did not know the levels of bacteria detected in the Old Main tower.

Montgomery said he didn't know how many students have classes in the Old Main building this time of year, but said the building manager "has been working with instructors to find alternate rooms for their classes if requested. Obviously, there are far fewer people in that building this time of year than there would be during the regular academic year (Sept.-April)."

At Ford, Felker said the company is required to notify the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration about legionella bacteria levels of 100 CFU/ml or higher, she said, but this contamination didn't come close to that level.

“Per our Ford process, we posted a notification in the areas in which we received a positive test," she said.

"We take the safety of our workforce very seriously. We regularly test for legionella out of an abundance of caution and have a comprehensive, industry-leading, water-quality management process that includes steps to take if legionella bacteria are found," she said.

"The Ford protocol is more stringent than federal guidelines. Following that process, in each of those cases, we immediately disinfected the equipment where the bacteria were found. We are not aware of any employees that have contracted (Legionnaires' disease from) the bacteria."

UAW-Ford said that the handling of these matters is addressed in the collective bargaining process.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services told the Free Press Wednesday that 97 cases of Legionnaires' disease have been reported statewide so far in 2019.

More:Here are the victims of the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Flint

More:All Flint water crisis criminal charges dismissed by attorney general's office — for now

Six people have died with Legionnaires' disease this year in Michigan, said Lynn Sutfin, a spokeswoman for MDHHS. She noted, however, that though six people died with the disease, Legionnaires' may not be the cause of death "as individuals who get Legionnaires' often have other health-related issues."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 1 in 10 people who contract Legionnaires' disease die from it. Symptoms of Legionnaires' disease usually begin two to 10 days after exposure and can include cough, shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches and headaches.

This isn't the first time legionella bacteria have been found in Wayne State's water systems.

In 2018, two contractors working on the construction of new apartments at Wayne State contracted Legionnaires' disease along with an employee of the university's Faculty Administration Building.

The same year, the university reported that legionella bacteria was discovered in cooling towers for four campus buildings — Shapero Hall, Scott Hall, the Applebaum Building and Cohn — and in three bathrooms — a first-floor men's room in Scott Hall, a men's restroom in the Cohn Building and one in the Faculty Administration Building.

Wayne State also reported that it replaced the rooftop cooling tower at the Towers Residence Suites and treated the rooftop cooling tower of the Student Center Building in 2018, both of which tested positive for legionella bacteria.

"Our experience dealing with legionella last summer taught us many things," Montgomery said. "We now test our water systems far more often than required, and our remediation process is more aggressive and robust than ever. We’ve learned that constant vigilance is the key. We know that constant monitoring, frequent testing and quick action when needed is the right approach for ensuring the health and safety of the campus community."

Sutfin said that although the statewide number of Legionnaires' disease cases so far this year — 97 —is lower than the 139 confirmed from Jan.1-July 6, 2018, incidence of the disease generally has been on the rise since 2000 in Michigan and nationally.

"Legionellosis is most common in the summer and early fall when warming, stagnant waters present the best environment for bacterial growth in water systems," she said. "As the weather has been fairly cool in the state until just recently, I would be cautious in saying we’re seeing a drop as this could change as temperatures become consistently warmer."

Legionellosis does not spread from person to person, but develops when mist or vapor containing the bacteria is inhaled or when people aspirate drinking water containing legionella (water accidentally goes into the lungs or "down the wrong pipe" while drinking), Sutfin said.

Those at highest risk for exposure to legionella bacteria include people who have:

recently traveled with an overnight stay.

recently stayed in a health care facility.

been exposed to hot tubs.

been exposed to settings where the plumbing has had recent repairs or maintenance work.

Investigators also have examined possible links between the Flint water crisis and a spike during a 17-month period in Flint-area deaths related to Legionnaires' disease. There were 88 confirmed cases, including 10 deaths, during two spikes in 2014 and 2015 in the Flint area, state health officials said.

Contact Kristen Jordan Shamus: 313-222-5997 or kshamus@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kristenshamus. Free Press staff writers Phoebe Wall Howard and David Jesse contributed to this report.