Lab testing results show water and swab samples collected from a Richmond spa featured high levels of legionella bacteria.
The results announced Monday by Contra Costa Health indicate Zen Day Spa is the likely source of Legionnaires' disease among several customers, officials said. The spa has been under investigation since Aug. 4 after two people who visited died from the disease.
"It is so tragic that individuals go to a spa to become healthy, feel relaxed and instead get sick or die and that is really what is tragic here," Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia.
The supervisor also called the spa owners extremely irresponsible.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
Contra Costa Health also said on Monday it has declared the spa a public nuisance and ordered the owners to professionally clean the space and dispose of the hot tub where the infections likely occurred within 30 days.
Health officials said as of Monday, two other people who visited the spa had lab-confirmed Legionnaires' disease and two more are suspected to be infected after visiting the businesses. These cases are in addition to the two deaths reported this month tied to the disease.
Contra Costa Health has contacted more than 30 recent customers of Zen Day Spa as part of its investigation.
Richmond resident Ron Oliver is one of the two people who died. His wife did not want to talk on camera with NBC Bay Area, but said she is devastated that what was supposed to be a relaxing day at the spa ended up so tragically.
Zen Day Spa may not reopen until re-inspected by the health department, which said the spa didn't have the required permit to operate, nor was it ever inspected by the department.
"Most public pools and spas have to have both disinfection and recirculation equipment," said Kristian Lucas, Contra Costa Health's assistant director of environmental health programs, during a press briefing Monday. "It was a residential unit and it didn't have some of the systems like a disinfection system."
Health officials said they will be submitting their reports to the district attorney for possible criminal charges.
Legionnaires' disease is found in natural freshwater sources such as lakes and streams and can cause a severe form of pneumonia when people breathe in contaminated water droplets, such as mist in a hot tub or via the use of hoses, health officials said.
The disease doesn't typically spread from person to person and is treatable with antibiotics. Seniors, smokers, chronic lung disease patients and other immunocompromised individuals are at higher risk of Legionnaires' disease.
Symptoms include shortness of breath, fever, chills and cough.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
