3 Illinois schools closed after Legionella bacteria found

ELGIN , Ill., Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Three schools in Elgin, Ill., closed abruptly Wednesday after air quality tests showed a heightened level of the Legionella bacteria.

Elgin School District U-46 CEO Tony Sanders, in a Facebook message, said elevated levels of the bacteria were found in the cooling towers of Eastview Middle School, Larkin High school, and Gifford Street High School, located about 35 miles northwest of Chicago. The Educational Services Center, the district's administrative office, is housed at the Gifford Street school, and was also closed.

The inhaled bacteria can cause a pneumonia-type illness known as Legionnaires' disease. Cooling towers of public buildings, part of a structure's cooling and air conditioning system, are a prime locations for the bacteria.

The three schools in Illinois were closed at about 10:30 a.m. and students were taken to other local schools or sent home. The annual air quality tests show the schools had "higher than normal" concentrations of the bacteria.

The school district offered no information regarding when the schools could reopen.