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News
Distillery inspected after disease outbreak
The part Diageo owned North British Distillery in Gorgie, Scotland has been inspected but “nothing of concern” found in relation to the deadly Legionnaires’ disease outbreak.
“Industrial cooling towers are only one potential source of infection, and the North British distillery is only one of a number of sites in the area with an industrial cooling tower. The site has been inspected and we understand that nothing of concern was found, however until full laboratory tests are completed nothing is certain. The management team at North British are working with the relevant authorities in any way that they can,” a Diageo spokesperson told the drinks business.
“Our concern is with the families of those affected by this situation. North British distillery is an independent company of which we are a shareholder. We are in touch with the management there and have offered them any support they may need from us.”
The North British Distillery in Gorgie, which is owned by Diageo and The Edrington Group, has been visited by environmental health experts probing the epidemic.
New Legionnaires’ cases continue to be discovered as one man has died and 15 other people are in a critical condition in hospital following the outbreak in Edinburgh, with a further 15 suspected cases being investigated.
Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said it was a significant outbreak of considerable concern.
Authorities are in a race against time to find the cause and are thought to be focusing on four commercial premises in Edinburgh as potential sources of the outbreak, which is contracted by breathing in droplets of contaminated water.
Symptoms are mild headaches, muscle pain, fever, a persistent cough, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhoea, and can begin at any time between two and 14 days after exposure to the bacteria.
The focus of the investigation is on industrial cooling towers in the south west of the city with samples being taken from four facilities, but legionella is a difficult bacteria to culture and it could take up to 10 days before results of the samples are available.
The majority of the confirmed cases have been linked to the Dalry, Gorgie and Saughton areas.