NYC to Publicly Identify Buildings Testing Positive for Legionnaires’ Bacteria

New York City is taking the unprecedented step of publicly identifying buildings on the Upper East Side where cooling towers test positive for the bacteria causing Legionnaires’ disease.

Buildings with positive initial tests are also being ordered to immediately drain, clean and disinfect their cooling towers to reduce the risk of further exposure.

The steps mark an escalation of efforts to contain the spread of the disease that has already infected 28 people overall and hospitalized 21 since it was first detected on July 2. No deaths have been reported.

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani said the city’s immediate priority is stopping any further exposure by rapidly identifying and remediating cooling towers that may contain Legionella bacteria. City officials believe that a cooling tower in a building is the likely source of the bacteria causing this form of pneumonia.

“When there’s a public health threat, New Yorkers deserve urgency and transparency from their government,” said Mamdani in announcing the new strategy. “That’s why we’re using every tool available to protect people by moving quickly to identify potential sources of exposure, requiring immediate remediation and making sure New Yorkers have the information they need to keep themselves and their families safe.”

Since July 2, more than 100 health department workers have been inspecting cooling towers in the affected area of Carnegie Hill and Yorkville (ZIP codes 10028, 10128 and 10075).

In previous investigations of Legionnaires’ outbreaks, buildings with positive test results were initially required to boost chemical disinfectant levels while awaiting confirmatory culture testing, a process that can take up to two weeks. Full cleaning and disinfection was generally required only after a positive culture result.

However, this time the city is taking what it calls “a more aggressive approach” by requiring full remediation immediately after a positive result, which health officials hope will accelerate the remediation response and reduce the possibility of ongoing exposure. Officials said several building owners have already completed remediation, while others are actively carrying out the required work.

Last summer, an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease in the Central Harlem neighborhood of the city led to at least six deaths and more than 100 diagnosed cases. The bacteria was discovered in 12 cooling towers on 10 buildings.

The site of the current outbreak, the Upper East Side, has more than three times the number of cooling towers tested during the Central Harlem investigation. There are approximately 160 cooling towers within the three ZIP codes under investigation, though not all are operating or located within the investigation zone.

As of July 6, the city’s health department staff had collected samples from 139 cooling towers. The city said the remaining operating towers will be sampled, if operating, by the end of today. The health department said it will release the addresses of all buildings with cooling towers that test positive as results become available.

“Our administration is increasing the speed with which it responds to the spread of Legionnaires’ Disease and improving systems that keep the public informed,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Helen Arteaga.

While the administration works to address this public health emergency, Arteaga urged “everyone in the area, especially older adults and other vulnerable communities, to seek care if they develop flu-like symptoms.”

Top Photo: Unidentified building’s cooling towers.