Proposed NYC bill would require buildings to report legionella bacteria sooner

New York City lawmakers are discussing a new bill Monday requiring building owners to report legionella bacteria sooner to try to prevent future outbreaks.

The goal is to give health officials the information they need to act quickly and prevent more people from getting sick during future outbreaks. 

More than 100 New Yorkers have been sickened by Legionnaires' disease within just a few months. There were 13 deaths between outbreaks in the Upper East Side and South Bronx. The July outbreak on the Upper East Side left 94 people sick and 11 dead. Health officials tested more than 180 cooling towers and found live Legionella bacteria in 59 of them.

In late August and September, another cluster emerged in the Bronx, which grew to at least 23 cases and two deaths.

Two cases were also confirmed earlier in October at North Shore Towers in Queens. That investigation focused on the building's hot water system, rather than cooling towers.

Building owners are already required to test their cooling towers for legionella bacteria. Under a new bill introduced by Council Member Lynn Schulman, building owners would be required to alert health officials when bacteria reaches a lower threshold than currently required. 

"Timely reporting of test results can be a critical component of identifying potential health risk. Giving [the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene] access to more testing data can help the agency take a more proactive approach. The metric I am proposing in this bill, which has been implemented in jurisdictions in Canada, has been a successful tool in proactively addressing Legionnaire's disease," Schulman said. 

Health officials said the current requirements for testing and reporting are in line with CDC guidance. Councilmembers hope stricter requirements would give the city an earlier warning next time there's an outbreak.