NYC Orders South Bronx Cooling Towers Cleaned Amid Legionnaires Cluster

New York City health officials have ordered 10 cooling towers in the South Bronx to be cleaned and disinfected by Monday, Sept. 14, after preliminary tests detected Legionella bacteria amid a growing Legionnaires' disease cluster. The cluster, centered in the Melrose and Morrisania neighborhoods, has sickened nine people and killed one, according to the Health Department. The mandatory remediation order covers towers in ZIP codes 10451 and 10456. Among the flagged sites are high-profile locations, including a cooling tower at Yankee Stadium and another at Lincoln Hospital. The city said the cleaning and disinfection must be completed by the end of the day Monday. The investigation began on Sept. 10 after health officials identified a cluster of cases. The department sampled 24 cooling towers in the area, and preliminary polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening finished Sept. 12. The 10 towers with positive results were ordered to be remediated immediately. Health officials emphasized that the preliminary PCR tests detect the presence of Legionella bacteria DNA but cannot determine whether the bacteria are alive or dead. Only live bacteria can cause illness.