ONTARIO, CALIF. — The World Plumbing Council and International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials in June sent the consensus statement developed during and after the International SARS Symposium in February to the World Health Organization.

The final version of the consensus statement says, in part, that “control of epidemic grade infectious diseases should be within reach of every populated area, and that a concerted effort by all plumbing industry professionals is necessary to ensure the world’s public health, safety and welfare and to overcome the political, economic and cultural challenges that stand in the way of this goal.”

Following the conclusion of the ISS program Feb. 12 in Los Angeles, attendees began developing the consensus statement based on the information presented over the two days. More than 100 plumbing, public health and building professionals attended the symposium, which focused on the link between Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and plumbing system design.

The WPC and IAPMO co-sponsored the event. The moderators, who helped to develop the consensus statement, were Bob Miodonski, publisher and editorial director of CONTRACTOR; Michael Frost, director of an Australian plumbing design firm; and John Smartt, head of plumbing and refrigeration at the Dublin Institute of Technology’s School of Construction in Ireland.

The statement can be downloaded from IAPMO’s Web site at www.iapmo.org or fromWPC’s Web site at www.worldplumbing.org.