Legionnaire’s disease has been a threat to institutional and commercial facilities since 1976, when an outbreak at a Philadelphia convention killed 34 people. Since then, outbreaks of the disease have tended to focus on one building. The most recent outbreak in New York City has broken that pattern.
New York City officials have identified 12 cooling towers in 10 Harlem buildings that tested positive for the disease. The update comes weeks after the start of the outbreak that has now resulted in 99 cases and five deaths. Officials say 17 people remain hospitalized.
Several buildings contain medical offices, while others are massive retail locations. Some locations are city-owned, and the city’s health department defended its cooling tower inspection schedule, pointing out that some locations have previously tested negative. The identified buildings are:
ASHRAE is offering two resources to help facility managers address the risk:
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188-2021, Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems, establishes minimum risk management requirements for the design, construction, commissioning, operation, maintenance, repair, and expansion of building water systems.
ASHRAE Guideline 12-2023, Managing the Risk of Legionellosis Associated with Building Water Systems, addresses common sources of exposure, including potable water systems, decorative fountains, whirlpool spas, cooling towers, and humidifiers.
Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.?
