Deep inside the cooling towers of nearly a dozen apartment buildings in the Upper Manhattan area, bacteria have taken advantage of poor maintenance to flourish and expand. The bacteria are inhaled by the inhabitants and develop into what’s called Legionnaires’ disease.
Since July 25, the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak has killed six people and sickened more than 100 others in New York City. The disease has affected five ZIP codes across Harlem. Civil rights groups have filed lawsuits against two construction companies for negligence. While others blame the NYC Health Department for drastically reducing the headcount of health inspectors before the outbreak.
What is Legionnaires’ disease?
The disease can trace its origin back to the 1976 outbreak at a state convention of the American Legion veterans organization in a Philadelphia hotel. The disease affected more than 180 people, resulting in the death of 29 people.
Legionnaires’ disease causes a serious form of pneumonia. It’s not spread person to person; however, the bacteria are airborne and can infect clusters of people via air handling systems, like cooling towers. However, with proper diagnosis, Legionnaires’ disease can be easily treated with antibiotics. But, many people tend to ignore the seriousness of the disease because of its flu-like symptoms until it’s too late.
Since 1976, the disease has been concentrated in lower-income and non-White communities. The latest NYC outbreak is concentrated in the central Harlem region, a historically Black neighborhood. Previously, in 2015, the city saw its largest outbreak, when 138 cases and 16 deaths were linked to a single cooling tower in the South Bronx. In 2022, the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx had a cluster of 30 people diagnosed with the disease.
Lawsuit Blames Outbreak on Negligence
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump has filed lawsuits against two construction companies, Skanska USA Building Inc. and Rising Sun Construction LLC, over a “completely preventable” outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease.
The NYC health department said the outbreak is linked to cooling towers that use fans and water to cool down buildings. On August 14, health officials confirmed that 12 cooling towers at buildings, including hospitals, tested positive for the Legionella bacteria.
In a recent press release, Crump and other attorneys filed complaints on behalf of two construction workers who were hospitalized with Legionnaires’ disease in July after working near the hospital in Harlem. They have also filed a notice of claim and intend to sue the city as well.
The attorneys said the construction companies were put on notice about the possibility of Legionella bacteria through bulletins after the storms, but failed to take action to keep people safe. According to Crump and his legal team, because corporations cut corners, preventable and unnecessary tragedies like this happen.
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