Throughout the United States, cases of legionellosis have been on the rise since 2000. In the first half of 2015, three Legionella outbreaks occurred in New York City, resulting in 141 confirmed cases of illness and 13 fatalities. Shortly after the outbreaks, the New York State Department of Health and New York City implemented stringent emergency regulations. These policies were enforced for all owners of buildings with cooling towers, in the hopes of preventing and controlling Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks.
Unfortunately these regulations did not have the intended impact, and reported cases of Legionnaires’ continued to trend upward in 2016 and 2017. Some experts believe that the trend can be explained by poor compliance with or enforcement of regulations, or the fact that the regulations focused on cooling towers only, overlooking other potential sources of Legionella. Additionally, improved clinical testing which allows for quicker, more accurate diagnosis of Legionnaires’ could be behind the uptick in reported cases. Our expert team of water technologists are familiar with national industry standards outlined by the CDC, ASHREA standard 188, CMS and local and state regulations. Let us help you keep your facility safe. Give us a call at 866-264-8453 to schedule a consultation.