Working Title: Olympic
Games in Rio de Janeiro Raises Legal and Public Health Questions regarding
water quality liability and Legionella
bacteria
By: Jules Zacher, JD MA; Tawny Vu, MPH
Outline
I.
Introduction – importance/significance of
XXXI Olympiad
a. Guests
and athletes of the games will travel from all over the world and all could be
exposed to bacteria
II. Dangers
associated with Legionella for
travelers
a. False
sense of security in hotels (water coming in from water company is not
necessarily safe)
b. Lack
of knowledge about water system maintenance within large facilities
c. LD
can be debilitating or even lethal
d. LD
is under-diagnosed
e. Cases
of LD are under-reported
III. History
of litigation in U.S.
a. American
legal system
b. Causes
of Action
c. Jules
Zacher’s cases
i.
German citizen who contracted LD at a hotel in
New York while traveling for work
ii.
Las Vegas hotel LD outbreaks
iii.
Spa-associated LD at hotel in Maryland
IV. Liability
of corporations
a. Liability
of American-owned corporations to American citizens
b. Liability
of Brazilian corporations, including Brazilian subsidiaries, to American
citizens
V. Liability
of Brazilian entities, such as the Brazilian Olympic Organizing Committee
VI. Conclusion
a. Legionnaires’
disease is dangerous and it has international concerns
b. There
is liability
c. Prevention
is key