New York City is managing a community cluster of Legionnaires’ disease cases on the Upper East Side that officials believe is tied to bacteria found in cooling towers. Towers on 76 buildings on the Upper East Side have tested positive for the bacteria, the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Tuesday.
Pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria has been confirmed in 60 people this month, but no deaths have been reported.
Fifteen people are now hospitalized, and 34 people have been discharged from the hospital. Generally, about 1 in 10 people who get Legionnaires’ disease will die, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Cooling towers, used for refrigeration and general building cooling, expel building heat into the atmosphere by pulling outside air through warm water from a central chiller that gets sprayed over a fill material. As fans pull air through the water, a small amount evaporates, cooling the remaining water, which recirculates to take up more heat. People can get sick when they are exposed to vapor from those systems if there’s bacteria in it. Studies show that cooling towers and other warm, wet environments like hot tubs, spas and some plumbing systems are particularly vulnerable to Legionella bacteria.
