Ostend’s AZ Damiaan hospital unveiled new equipment which constantly purifies water pipes and frees them of bacteria and Legionella. The hospital is the first Belgian institution to use a system called Bifipro which is based on copper-silver ionising technology. It was presented to the hospital by AZ Damiaan and the provider Holland Water on Monday. The system is already in place in 300 sites in the Netherlands. Belgium officially authorised the system in December 2014. The AZ Damiaan hospital in Ostend is the first Belgian building where it is installed.
After a while water pipes can get blocked and bacteria develop where too little water flows. The Bifipro system supposedly stops this happening. Copper-silver ionising protects pipes from bacteria, and especially from Legionella, the Legionellosis agent. “This is good news, and a good example for all health sector facilities. Far too many hospitals, nursing homes, health centres, but also hotels, holiday resorts and office buildings are not properly equipped to fight Legionella,” according to Leo De Zeeuw, CEO of Holland Water.
The new system uses very little energy. The AZ Damiaan hospital will save 23,000 euros per year. “We will recoup our investment within 2 years,” reveals the Ostend hospital.
(Source: Belga)
