New York City officials revealed in a recent update that the outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease that has plagued the South Bronx has left 10 dead and a total of 100 cases diagnosed.
The disease is caused by the bacteria Legionella, which can be found in various plumbing systems, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention reported. It is spread by breathing in mist from water, but it can't be spread from person to person. While the illness is usually found in the summer and early fall, it can occur at any time of the year.
Officials revealed that the outbreak was traced to five cooling towers in the South Bronx thus far, according to Fox News. The aforementioned towers have since been decontaminated.
The city's Health Department ordered on Thursday that buildings with water-cooling towers must be assessed and any found contaminated be disinfected. Failure to comply with the order would be treated as a misdemeanor.
This order would cover thousands of buildings in the city, and it immediately raised questions about how quickly that number of inspections could be carried out and how the city could enforce the requirement, according to The New York Times.
Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected on Friday to give details of a legislative plan meant to tighten regulation of the cooling towers. The proposal is expected to include standards for testing and maintaining water-cooling towers. If adopted, New York CIty would become one of the first jurisdictions to impose such requirements.
Tim Keane, a consulting engineer at Legionella Risk Management, believes the city's efforts have both potential benefits and drawbacks.
"It could set an important precedent," he said, "but there's also the risk that they put into place a poorly executed plan that costs a lot without actually doing much for public safety."
