Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro Raises Legal and Public Health Questions regarding water quality liability and Legionella bacteria

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