New York City is set to enforce stricter rules for cooling towers as Legionnaires’ disease continues to spread through parts of the city.
As of August 8, 83 people living in upper Manhattan have been infected with Legionnaires’ disease, a type of pneumonia that spreads through bacteria lurking in warm later.
Of these, there have been three deaths and 21 patients are currently hospitalized. All cases have been detected in five ZIP codes covering the Harlem, East Harlem and Morningside Heights neighborhoods.
Legionnaires’ disease is caused by Legionella bacteria, which thrive in warm water and can become airborne when water turns to steam.
It has not been determined yet how patients were infected, but a release from the New York City Department of Health said the ‘likely source’ is a cooling tower in the area.
While building owners are required to register cooling towers’ and ‘routinely test the water for bacteria, inspections dwindled after the pandemic and sunk to a near-record low in the months leading up to the outbreak. This was put down to a shortage of inspectors.
Off the back of the outbreak, the city’s Health Department plans on enforcing heftier penalties and ramping up reporting requirements for building water systems.
The finer details are still being ironed out, but a spokesperson told DailyMail.com: ‘These proposed rules are designed to enhance existing testing and reporting requirements and were in development well before the Legionnaires cluster in Central Harlem.
Cooling towers and air conditioning units are seen in the Harlem neighborhood amid a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City
‘All operable cooling towers in the area have been sampled, and the Health Department has directed building owners with initial positive screening results to initiate remediation, including increased cleaning of the cooling towers.
‘We’ve confirmed compliance at all buildings with initial positive results.’
The new regulations will come into force next spring.
In New York, owners of cooling towers are required to register their towers and they must comply with regulations designed to prevent Legionella bacteria growth, including regular maintenance and testing.
The department of health states that water in a cooling tower system must be treated at least once per day while the system is in operation.
Water treatments must include approved oxidizing chemicals and biocides in quantities sufficient to control the presence of Legionella, minimize biofilms, and prevent scaling and corrosion.
Owners of buildings with cooling towers can face penalties for violations related to Legionella prevention and maintenance.
Penalties can include fines ranging from $500 to $10,000, with higher penalties for violations resulting in death or serious injury.
It is currently unclear what the revamped regulations regarding cooling towers will involve.
In Harlem, where the New York outbreak originated, 11 cooling towers tested positive for Legionella bacteria.
Officials wrote in a news release: ‘This is not an issue with any building’s plumbing system. Residents in these ZIP codes can continue to drink water, bathe, shower, cook, and use your air conditioner.’
While building owners ‘are required to register cooling towers’ and ‘routinely test the water’ for bacteria, inspections reportedly sunk to a near-record low in the months leading up to the outbreak.
Officials told Gothamist, which discovered the decline, that staffing issues were to blame.
NYC Department of Health officials said in their most recent update: ‘People who inhale mist that contains Legionella bacteria can get sick.
‘Sources of water with Legionella contamination may include cooling towers, showers and hot tubs.
‘Window air conditioners do not spread the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease.’
No information has been released about those who have died or been hospitalized.
Infected patients initially suffer from a headache, muscle aches, and fever that may be 104 Fahrenheit (40 Celsius) or higher.
But within three days, they may experience a cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and confusion or other mental changes.
In serious cases, patients can develop severe pneumonia, and the bacteria can spread to the heart and blood, causing the potentially fatal complication sepsis.
Patients die from the disease due to lung failure, septic shock, a sudden severe drop in blood flow to vital organs, or acute kidney failure.
Legionnaires’ affects 8,000 to 10,000 Americans every year and kills about 1,000.
The five ZIP codes affected in the outbreak are: 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037 and 10039.
City health officials said while ‘most people who are exposed to the bacteria do not develop Legionnaires’ disease,’ those who are 50 or older, smoke, have a chronic lung disease or a weakened immune system may be at a higher risk.
The news release cautioned people who experience symptoms to ‘seek medical attention right away.’
Doctors treat the disease using antibiotics, but say these are most effective in the early stages before the disease has spread in the body. Patients are often hospitalized.
Dr Asim Cheema, internal medicine and cardiology specialist at Your Doctors Online, told the Daily Mail: ‘August is peak season for Legionnaires’ disease. Hot weather creates perfect breeding conditions, air conditioning systems work overtime, and people spend more time around water features.
‘This isn’t a condition to take lightly; it can be fatal if not treated promptly, but it’s also completely treatable when caught early.’
In milder cases, patients may also suffer from Pontiac fever, a condition causing fever, chills, headache and muscle aches that occurs when the bacteria do not infect the lungs.
This condition goes away on its own without treatment and causes no further problems, doctors say.
Air conditioning units are seen in the Harlem neighborhood amid a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City
The New York City outbreak was first revealed on July 22, when the health department reported eight cases.
All buildings that had units that tested positive for the Legionella bacteria were told to clean their systems within 24 hours.
It follows a previous outbreak in July 2015 in the Bronx, which became the second-largest Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in the US.
Overall, a total of 155 patients were infected and 17 people died due to the disease from July to September that year.
The outbreak was eventually linked back to a cooling tower at the Opera House Hotel in the South Bronx, which had been contaminated with the bacteria and was releasing it in water vapor.
Dr Cheema recommends flushing home water systems after being away for extended periods of time to get rid of lingering bacteria, using distilled water in home humidifiers and medical devices and avoiding breathing mist from public areas.
