Second Ford worker dies of Legionnaires' disease

Workers were disinfecting the plant after workers were diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease

Plant being disinfected after four diagnosed with disease

CLEVELAND, Ohio (CNN) -- A second Ford Motor Co. plant employee has died of complications from Legionnaires' disease, a spokesman for the Cleveland Clinic said Friday.

Spokesman Mark Cohen said David Hinderman died around 8:45 p.m. Friday.

Another worker, Donald Tafoya, 61, died last Friday of unspecified pneumonia, but was later diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease.

At least two other workers are known to be infected with the disease.

Disinfection operations are under way at the Ford Motor Co. plant where the four men worked. But it is still possible for other cases to develop, the company said Friday.

"It is possible that one or two more cases may come up," said Dr. Beverly Blaney, a Ford doctor.

The plant closed Wednesday, meaning a person infected before that time might still come down with the disease, she said.

Meanwhile, Blaney said she is combing through plant health records to identify any cases that previously were considered to be colds, bronchitis or influenza that might have been Legionnaires' disease.

An independent contractor began the disinfection process in the plant after representatives from the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finished taking samples in the facility, said Roman Krygier, Ford vice president of power train operations.

About 20 plant workers per shift are helping in the disinfection, he said.

Blaney said testing is being conducted on the samples to confirm that the plant is the source of the disease and, if so, to pinpoint where in the plant the legionella bacteria is concentrated.

The Brook Park casting plant, with about 2,500 workers, was shut down Wednesday night after the third case was diagnosed. It will remain closed at least through Sunday, said Ford spokesman Ron Iori in Detroit.

The board of health said one of the victims remained hospitalized Friday. The other had been treated and released earlier in the week. In addition, the board said it has identified three other people suffering from pneumonia and tests are being run to determine if they have Legionnaires' disease.

Symptoms of the disease include fever, chills and a cough, and it is often accompanied by pneumonia.

A respiratory bacterial infection, the disease is usually spread through mist that comes from a water source, such as cooling towers, air conditioning or showers. It is not transmitted person to person.

An estimated 8,000 to 18,000 people get Legionnaires' disease in the United States each year, according to the CDC. Most people recover, but between 5 percent to 30 percent of those who get the disease die.

Henry Ford II, grandson of company founder Henry Ford, died of the disease in 1987 at the age of 70. Ford headed the company from 1945 to 1979.

An outbreak of the disease in Philadelphia in 1976, largely among people attending a convention of the American Legion, led to its name.

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CDC: Legionnaires' Disease
OSHA: Legionnaires' Disease

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