Chasing Zero

At Legionella Specialties, Chasing Zero is defined very simply:

Zero means that any Legionella test we send to an accredited laboratory comes back as non-detect after treatment.

Not reduced counts. Not “within acceptable limits.” Not “below an action threshold.”

Zero.

Chasing Zero is the intentional pursuit of laboratory-verified, non-detect Legionella results across an entire water system following treatment. If a sample is collected, submitted to the lab, and analyzed, the expectation is that it returns zero Legionella detected.

This definition matters because it removes ambiguity. Zero is not a concept, a philosophy, or a compliance talking point. It is a measurable laboratory outcome.

Why “Zero” Is Often Considered Unrealistic

In healthcare water management, there is a long-standing belief that zero Legionella in large hospital systems is not realistic. Complex plumbing, aging infrastructure, biofilm, low-flow conditions, and fluctuating temperatures all contribute to the idea that Legionella will always be present at some level.

As a result, many facilities are conditioned to accept recurring positives as “normal,” focusing on managing results rather than eliminating the organism. Over time, expectations shift from prevention to tolerance.

Chasing Zero challenges that mindset.

What We See in the Real World

What makes Chasing Zero more than a philosophy is that it is backed by results.

Across hospitals we have treated, many with a long history of repeated and sometimes very high Legionella positives, we consistently see the same outcome:

Post-treatment testing comes back zero.

Not once. Not temporarily. But consistently over time.

Facilities that struggled for years with recurring positives often experience their first-ever rounds of non-detect results after implementing the right treatment strategy. More importantly, those results hold when treatment is continuous and systems are properly monitored.

This is the difference between short-term remediation and long-term control.

Why Chasing Zero Works

Chasing Zero is not about reacting to a positive test. It is about designing a system that does not allow Legionella to re-establish itself.

That requires:

• Continuous treatment, not episodic response

• System-specific strategies rather than one-size-fits-all approaches

• Ongoing monitoring to verify performance, not assumptions

• A deep understanding of biofilm, hydraulics, and real-world system behavior

• 
  

When these elements are aligned, zero is not only achievable. It becomes repeatable.

Zero Is a Standard, Not a Snapshot

One of the most important aspects of Chasing Zero is consistency.

A single non-detect result does not define success. What matters is the ability to repeatedly send samples to the lab, month after month and year after year, and continue to receive zero Legionella detected results.

That is the standard we hold ourselves to.

Raising the Bar

Chasing Zero is not about setting unrealistic expectations. It is about raising the bar on what is considered possible and refusing to accept chronic Legionella presence as inevitable.

For us, zero is not an aspirational goal. It is a measurable outcome. And it is one we see every day.