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The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has identified 45 additional water-cooling towers on the Upper East Side that tested positive for Legionella bacteria, bringing the total number of affected sites to 76 since an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease began. While 60 people have been diagnosed with the illness and 49 have required hospitalization, officials report the rate of new diagnoses has begun to decline.
Scope of the Legionella Investigation
The city’s ongoing investigation focuses on three ZIP codes: 10028, 10128, and 10075. According to the NYC Department of Health, the initial list of 31 sites has expanded significantly following broader testing. City officials confirmed Tuesday that initial testing across these neighborhoods is now complete, and they do not expect to find additional positive cooling towers in the immediate area.
Legionella bacteria thrive in the warm water of cooling towers and can be aerosolized into the air through water vapor. Health officials emphasize that the primary risk to the public comes from inhaling this mist near an active, contaminated tower. Dr. Alister Martin, the city health commissioner, stated there is no additional risk to individuals simply by entering or occupying the buildings themselves.
Remediation and Containment Efforts
Under city mandates, all property owners with cooling towers that tested positive for the bacteria must immediately drain, clean, and disinfect the systems. As of the most recent update, 57 building owners have completed the required remediation, while another 19 were ordered to finish the process by Thursday.
The outbreak, which peaked in terms of new diagnoses on July 6, has resulted in 60 confirmed cases. No deaths have been attributed to this specific cluster. Health department data indicates that the number of new cases has slowed, a trend officials attribute to the aggressive decontamination of the identified cooling towers.
Affected Building Locations
The following buildings are among those that have already completed the required remediation process:
- 1130 Fifth Ave.
- 1150 Madison Ave.
- 1239 Madison Ave.
- 1275 Madison Ave.
- 1020 Park Ave.
- 1157 Lexington Ave.
- 1755 York Ave.
- 60 East End Ave.
- 188 East 78th St.
- 200 East 78th St.
- 124 East 79th St.
- 201 East 79th St.
- 211 East 79th St.
- 511 East 80th St.
- 444 East 82nd St.
- 500 East 83rd St.
- 7 East 86th St.
- 401 East 86th St.
- 444 East 86th St.
- 445 East 86th St.
- 51 East 87th St.
- 9 East 90th St.
- 410 East 92nd St.
- 40 East 94th St.
Additional buildings currently under order to complete remediation by Thursday include sites such as 980 Fifth Ave., 1000 Fifth Ave., 920 Park Ave., 1249 Park Ave., and 1025 Madison Ave., among others in the 10028, 10128, and 10075 ZIP codes.
Understanding Legionnaires’ Disease
Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacterium. It is not spread from person to person. Instead, it is contracted by breathing in mist or vapor contaminated with the bacteria.
City officials continue to monitor the situation and perform follow-up testing to determine which specific cooling tower serves as the primary source of the outbreak.