Safe Garden Materials Handling

All potting mixes, mulches, composts and soils can be harmful to your health if you do not take some simple precautions.

A group of organisms called Legionella is found in these materials and can cause a type of pneumonia in humans. It is a serious disease and is associated with a mortality rate of around 15%, but is a relatively simple infection to cure providing it is diagnosed and treated promptly.

Legionella infection usually develops 2 to 10 days after exposure and some or all of the following symptoms may be experienced:

• Fever and chills
• Coughing
• Aching muscles
• Headache
• Tiredness
• Loss of appetite
• Diarrhoea

Be aware that it is difficult to distinguish Legionella infection from other types of pneumonia by symptoms alone and specific medical tests are required to diagnose the disease. If you experience these symptoms after working with gardening materials, please get yourself checked by your local GP. Better safe than sick or even worse.

Avoiding Infection

Due to the widespread use of potting mixes, mulches, soils and other garden products, many people are potentially exposed to the organism.

Studies in South Australia have shown that the most likely route of transmission of Legionella longbeachae is from hand to mouth. It is possible that Legionella infection may be contracted by breathing in fine particles of dust or water carrying the organism.

Note that Legionella infection cannot be caught from another person or from animals.

To help prevent infection:

• Always wear gloves
• Keep garden materials damp while in use
• Avoid inhaling gardening materials
• Wash your hands thoroughly after gardening.