RICHMOND, Calif. -- State health officials are investigating whether the Richmond Health Center is the source of the Legionnaires' bacteria that sickened a nurse.

Janice Smith was diagnosed with Legionnaires' Disease on November 3rd. She was hospitalized with a lung infection. Now she is home trying to recover. Smith said she is afraid, "Because I know people have died from it."

Smith blames conditions at the Richmond Health Center for the illness. "Faulty air conditioning, water dripping on you from the ceiling," she says.

The Legionella bacteria causes a type of pneumonia and it flourishes in wet conditions. Those are conditions some say are present at the center. The building is 43 years old and its ventilation system is said to be a problem.

Contra Costa County Health Director Dr. Bill Walker said, "We have preliminary evidence that Legionella may be in the cooling tower." County officials are testing water samples for the bacteria. "We're putting biocides or disinfectants into the cooling tower to make sure that it doesn't grow there," said Walker.

Officials added that, for the time being, there's little patients and workers at the center can do other than to report flu-like symptoms.

Janice Smith wonders why the investigation is beginning only now. She thinks the leaks should have been fixed long ago. "Something needs to be done," she says. "There's too many people working there, a lot of people there get sick."

She says she is considering suing Contra Costa County for neglecting the building and the health of her co-workers.

The county expects to have test results on the water by the end of this week. Cal/OSHA also is on the case.

In the past year, Contra Costa County has seen 14 cases of Legionnaires' disease.