Glaxo plant quiet for 2nd day over Legionnaires' bacteria

ByEMERY P. DALESIO AP logo
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Glaxo plant quiet for 2nd day over Legionnaires' bacteria
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RALEIGH, N.C. -- A GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical plant is quiet for a second day after the company discovered the bacteria that causes potentially fatal Legionnaire's disease in a cooling tower.

Only a handful of cars were in the parking lot on Wednesday outside the manufacturing plant in Zebulon, about 25 miles east of Raleigh. The plant was closed Tuesday after routine testing found the bacteria in a self-standing cooling tower.

The company said in a statement that the cooling tower does not contact products manufactured at the facility. Glaxo has not responded to questions about whether there was any risk of indoor exposure to employees or medicines from water droplets that could carry the bacteria.

North Carolina health officials said Wednesday that no cases of Legionnaire's disease linked to the Glaxo plant have been reported.