Hi Reddit! Like many of you, we’ve been watching the events unfold in New York as the city works to combat the outbreak of Legionnaires Disease. This case provides a vivid example of how even in a mature, developed country, we still have a lot we can do to protect human health, and highlights the importance of water chemistry in our everyday lives. We are researching sustainable ways to control microbial growth in water systems –which provide an ideal environment for various pathogenic and resistant bacteria that lead to health and safety issues. Christine McInnis: I am a Ph.D. organic chemist with a background in biology and am responsible for developing breakthrough solutions for microbial control in water applications globally. I am passionate about responsible use of water, reduction of energy used in water-related processes, and preventing diseases spread through water systems. I have authored more than 20 papers and hold a patent. I also hold leadership positions within the Association of Water Technologies, Cooling Tower Institute and the American Chemical Society. Ian Tomlinson: I am a Ph.D. organic chemist and Research Fellow at Dow. During the last 3 decades my research has covered a wide variety of fields from contract manufacturing and biotechnology to pharmaceuticals and drug research, to water purification and microbial control. Solving complex issues such as the incidence of Legionnaires disease requires understanding the root cause. Using this knowledge to help develop new solutions to address important human problems is what makes the life of a scientist exciting. I hold 30 US patents and have a dozen more pending; I have authored 8 papers in peer reviewed journals and I am a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Chemistry Society. We’ll be back at 1 pm ET (5 pm UTC, 10 am PT) So, please, Ask Us Anything! There has been a lot of great discussion on this topic. Thank you for your questions and comments! We will try to answer a few more questions as time allows in the next few days. Feel free to find us on LinkedIn if you want to continue the discussion.