Train Operators in Britain Accused of Lethal Bugs Cover-Up

By MARTIN WILLIAMS – “TRAIN companies have been criticised for covering up the discovery of a potentially lethal bug found on trains running across Britain.

Tests that started last month on trains of most of Britain’s 20 operators, including ScotRail, have revealed that one in three tested positive for legionella, the bacteria that causes the potentially fatal pneumonia, Legionnaires’ disease.

An internal email sent to all train companies in the UK from the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), and leaked to The Herald, says it was found in toilet systems.

Train companies and health experts are unable to say whether the bug has been behind any cases of Legionnaires’ disease, which is transmitted by infected water droplets. There have been three known deaths in Scotland in recent weeks and experts have had major problems detecting the cause.” Read more.