KETTERING — Kettering City Schools says Legionella was found in the water at the district’s Roush Stadium and more than 30 students have reported being sick.
The district received test results on Saturday, June 17 of all water sources in the Field House at Roush Stadium. The water tested positive for Legionella, according to a letter sent to families of football players obtained by News Center 7.
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“We chose Legionella PCR analysis to get a rapid result but it only validates the presence of Legionella, not the species or CFU count. The lab is currently culturing the sample and we should know both of those in 7-10 days,” Superintendent Mindy McCarty-Stewart said in the letter.
The Field House was shut down on June 13 after the district was made aware of a concern about the water and the health of student-athletes.
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the bacteria can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a serious type of pneumonia.
News Center 7 talked to Dan Suffoletto, public information officer for Public Health Dayton & Montgomery County, Tuesday. He was there are currently 12 cases of Legionnaires disease in Montgomery County, but they are all in adults and not football players.
“There are no cases, but the school, on their own is doing testing just to see what they may find,” he said.
Suffoletto said those who develop Legionnaires’ disease could become very ill.
“Once you get something into your lungs, you’re unable to fight that off. That’s where it becomes more serious,” he said.
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While the district declined an in-person interview Tuesday, they did tell News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott that the team has been using the stadium since January and 36 student-athletes have self-reported feeling ill since last month.
Suffoletto said there are ways to prevent Legionella from developing.
“Removing stagnant water to try to eliminate the growth of bacteria. If that bacteria is found, then there are procedures you can do to eliminate that bacteria going forward,” he said.
The Field House will remain closed until further notice and the district is working with a certified group to “take all necessary action to ensure that” it is safe to be in.
In 2019, the former head custodian at Fairmont High School, Keith “Casey” Chaffin, died in part from Legionnaires’ disease, News Center 7 previously reported. His family told us he had worked for the district for 20 years when he became ill with the disease.