EWS | DIGEST Legionella bacteria found on immigration barge Skea elected chair of UN climate panel UK academic Jim Skea has been elected chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The panel assesses the science related to climate change and produces authoritative adaptation and mitigation reports. A founder member of the UKs Climate Change Committee, Professor Skea was elected as head of the IPCC on 26 July and will oversee its upcoming Seventh Assessment Cycle. Tests are carried out after bacteria found in water pipes of Bibby Stockholm Asylum seekers housed in an accommodation barge had to be evacuated after Legionella bacteria were found in the vessels water pipes. The first group of people arrived on the three-storey Bibby Stockholm moored in Portland, Dorset on 7 August. However, a test of the water system showed levels of legionella bacteria, believed to have emanated from the vessels pipes, that required further investigation. While tests of the water at the point of entry to the vessel had shown no indication of Legionella, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advised the Home Office on the evening of 10 August to remove the six asylum seekers who had arrived that day. As a further precaution, the Home Office announced on the following day that all 39 London 4.5C hotter than rural areas Temperatures in London are up to 4.5C hotter than in surrounding rural areas, according to research by Arup. The consultancy used its digital analytics tool, UHeat, to map the most extreme hot spots on the warmest day in a 150km2 sample of Cairo, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Mumbai and New York. Arup said the snapshot highlights how city design is driving up urban temperatures. asylum seekers would be disembarked to contingency accommodation. The results of follow-up tests on the water system, being carried out by Dorset Council environmental health officers, were awaited when CIBSE Journal went to press. The UKHSA will provide additional advice once these have been received. The Home Office blog said none of those on board had presented with symptoms of Legionnaires disease, and the samples taken related only to the water system on the vessel itself. Legionnaires disease is a rare form of pneumonia caused when a person breathes in air containing the bacteria in droplets of water. The aerosols can be spread through air conditioning systems, showers and spa pools. The Home Office has hired the Bibby Stockholm vessel to accommodate up to 500 men while they await the results of their asylum applications. CO MP R EH EN S I V E EXTENSIVE PRODUCT RANGE AND BESPOKE SOLUTIONS Trusted since 1919, our extensive portfolio of general and public health valves, pipe fittings and commissioning valves for constant and variable flow ensure you dont have to look anywhere else. Even if you need a bespoke solution come to us. Find out more at Cranefs.com/solutions 21400_CRANE_FS_COMPREHENSIVE_AD_133X186.indd 1 8 September 2023 www.cibsejournal.com 14/02/2022 13:32