Tainted water supply, water filter blamed for one death, two illnesses at Miami hotel

Fox News is reporting that the luxury Epic Hotel in downtown Miami has been evacuated after one guest died and two others became sick from a bacteria-tainted water supply. And it appears that a water filter that the hotel had installed to remove chlorine from its tap water is to blame:

About 300 guests have been relocated from a luxury Miami hotel after one guest died and at least two others became sick from a bacteria in the water.

Health officials say the guests at the Epic Hotel in downtown Miami were sent to nearby hotels Sunday to prevent further contact with the Legionella bacteria. It can cause potentially deadly pneumonia. It spreads in contaminated mist or vapor, not from person to person.

An investigation last week by county and state officials revealed that the hotel had installed a water filter powerful enough to remove chlorine from its city-supplied water, a move that encouraged bacterial growth.

In an unrelated case, the bacteria killed a man in Gainesville last week. He had contracted the disease from the water supply at Shands Cancer Hospital.