●   Water safety expert warns city could still be at risk as cooling tower emissions can spread contaminated aerosols up to several km and impact other communities

●       Reported cases of Legionnaires' disease in the U.S. have climbed nearly 1,000% over the past two decades - yet regulation remains outdated and not fit for purpose

●       Facilities must lead as research shows a staggering 85% of Americans don’t know much, if anything, about Legionella, despite growing risk

As New York City (NYC) experiences its second major Legionnaires' disease outbreak in less than a year, a leading water safety expert is warning that the city’s current approach to Legionella monitoring - particularly in terms of high-risk cooling towers - must be urgently reassessed.

According to official reports¹, NYC now has 23 confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease linked to the Upper East Side, including 17 hospitalizations. The city's Department of Health is currently testing cooling towers throughout the affected neighborhoods for Legionella bacteria as it works to identify the source of the outbreak.

The latest cluster follows last summer’s deadly Harlem outbreak, in which seven people died and more than 100 others fell ill after Legionella bacteria were traced to contaminated cooling towers.

It also comes as Legionnaires' disease is surging across the United States. Reported cases² have climbed nearly 1,000% over the past two decades, driven by a combination of rising temperatures, aging infrastructure and increasingly complex building water systems that create ideal conditions for Legionella to thrive.

As the Upper East Side situation continues to unfold, one water safety expert Hydrosense is warning that cooling towers remain one of the most significant and still overlooked sources of Legionella exposure.

Though cooling towers are essential for removing excess heat from large buildings, their warm, recirculating water systems create ideal conditions for bacterial growth – while the scope for plume can carry the bacteria far beyond the building itself. Research shows contaminated cooling tower drift can travel distances of up to several km³ under the right weather conditions, increasing the potential for widespread community exposure.

Despite this growing risk, Legionella regulations and water safety guidance across the United States have changed little over recent years, leaving many facilities reliant on outdated laboratory-based testing methods that can delay detection and response.

At the same time, public awareness remains worryingly low with recent Hydrosense research revealing that a staggering 85% of Americans admit they don’t know much – if anything - about Legionella, despite the potentially serious health risks linked to contaminated water systems.

Greg Rankin, Hydrosense CEO, comments: “Two major Legionnaires’ outbreaks in New York City within a year should be a wake-up call. The reality is that the scale, speed and complexity of Legionella risk are advancing faster than the procedures we have in place designed to manage them.

“Cooling towers are a particular concern. When they are not effectively monitored and managed, they can become a source of Legionella exposure that extends far beyond a single building, potentially affecting entire communities.

"It is often said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. In this way, it’s clear that our current approach to Legionella control is not working. If we do not break for change, and apply new focus on more modern and robust water safety approaches, outbreaks such as this will, sadly, continue to happen.”

Legionnaires’ disease is a potentially fatal lung infection caused by inhaling droplets of water contaminated with Legionella bacteria. It has a 7-10% mortality rate and is the leading cause of drinking water disease outbreaks in the United States.⁴ The bacteria can be found in a wide range of man-made water systems, including cooling towers, HVAC systems, taps and showers.

Hydrosense remains committed to helping building owners, facility managers, and municipalities detect Legionella before it becomes a crisis. Its rapid, on-site testing solutions can identify Legionella in water systems within 25 minutes - empowering faster action and better protection for communities.

Greg adds: “With public awareness about Legionella still shockingly low, the onus is on facilities and safety teams to lead the way. With this, our message is simple - when it comes to tackling Legionella, prevention is better than cure. Waiting for symptoms means waiting too long. By the time someone is hospitalized with Legionnaires’ disease, the window for prevention has already closed. By shifting from a reactive to a proactive water safety approach with regular rapid testing and monitoring, facilities can respond promptly to contamination, significantly minimize the risk of exposure and ultimately save lives.”

For information please visit: https://hydrosense-legionella.com/

Sources:

¹https://abc7ny.com/post/nycs-upper-east-side-experiencing-cluster-legionnaires-least-18-cases/19459466/#:~:text=As%20of%20July%206%2C%2023,York%20City%20Department%20of%20Health.

² https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10540183/

³ https://www.cdc.gov/legionella/php/surveillance/index.html

⁴ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10540183/

About Hydrosense:

Hydrosense is on a mission to make Legionella detection easier, faster and more effective than ever before with its innovative, world-leading rapid Legionella testing solutions.

Ideal for industries that require more stringent action levels, Hydrosense overcomes the limitations of traditional lab-culture testing with its innovative Hydrosense Legionella testing kits. This includes the Hydrosense PRO range, which can detect the presence of Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1-15, and the Hydrosense ONE range, which can detect the presence of Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1 only. Easy to use, accurate and with results delivered in just 25 minutes, the result is the early detection of problems, speedy remedial action and a reduction in potential exposure and the associated risks.