A Legionnaires' disease outbreak on New York City's Upper East Side has been traced to water mist from cooling towers, officials announced. Council Speaker Julie Menin stated that the bacteria responsible for sickening at least 23 people is not from a building's drinking water system but from cooling towers installed to combat the heat.
Seventeen cooling towers have been identified and are undergoing inspection across the affected zip codes, 10028, 10128, and 10075. Menin indicated that the outbreak was identified relatively early due to an increase in city cooling tower inspectors. This year, 56 inspectors are on duty, an increase from last year when seven people died during a similar outbreak in Central Harlem.
Menin expressed concern that the outbreak was preventable and criticized the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) for not yet confirming the source. She highlighted new legislation, which took effect in May, designed to strengthen requirements for building owners to test cooling towers. The law mandates monthly testing during warmer months, a change from the previous 90-day inspection interval. Additionally, building owners must submit test samples to the DOHMH database within five days of sampling, with non-compliance resulting in fines between $2,000 and $4,000.
Menin has raised questions for the DOHMH regarding the law's implementation since May 8, seeking details on compliance rates on the Upper East Side, the agency's oversight, and whether any fines have been issued.