New York City Launches Investigation into Harlem Building Over Legionnaires' Outbreak
The Big Apple's health department is probing a pair of identical buildings in Harlem for signs of Legionella after two residents tested positive for Legionnaires' disease, just months after a separate outbreak in the neighborhood left six people dead.
According to officials, the focus of the investigation is on 3333 Broadway's "Tower B", which shares plumbing with another building that was affected by last year's Central Harlem Legionnaires' outbreak. The management company behind the buildings has stated that there is no indication whether residents contracted the disease in their apartment or elsewhere.
Legionnaires' disease, a waterborne illness caused by Legionella bacteria, cannot be spread from person to person but can be contracted through inhaling contaminated water vapor. Unlike cooling towers, which spread aerosols over larger areas, this investigation targets buildings with shared plumbing systems.
Residents of the affected building, including Heaven Berhane, expressed frustration and distrust towards their management company and the health department. Berhane described receiving a notice about the potential presence of Legionella months after the initial outbreak, citing scheduling concerns and lack of transparency.
"I thought Legionnaires' was over," she said. "It honestly created and amplified what is already a level of distrust that most Black and brown folks have when it comes to our health care systems, and also with management."
Berhane's experience highlights the complexities surrounding waterborne illnesses in densely populated areas like New York City. Water sampling remains underway, but officials caution that results may take weeks to arrive.
The city's protocols require building owners to hire experts to assess their water system's vulnerability to Legionella when two or more residents test positive for the disease within a 12-month period. In this case, Urban American management is working closely with health department officials to test both Tower A and B's water systems, citing safety as their top priority.
With most cases of Legionnaires' disease going unreported due to lack of evidence linking them to specific sources, residents are demanding swift action from their management company to ensure the water system is safe.
The Big Apple's health department is probing a pair of identical buildings in Harlem for signs of Legionella after two residents tested positive for Legionnaires' disease, just months after a separate outbreak in the neighborhood left six people dead.
According to officials, the focus of the investigation is on 3333 Broadway's "Tower B", which shares plumbing with another building that was affected by last year's Central Harlem Legionnaires' outbreak. The management company behind the buildings has stated that there is no indication whether residents contracted the disease in their apartment or elsewhere.
Legionnaires' disease, a waterborne illness caused by Legionella bacteria, cannot be spread from person to person but can be contracted through inhaling contaminated water vapor. Unlike cooling towers, which spread aerosols over larger areas, this investigation targets buildings with shared plumbing systems.
Residents of the affected building, including Heaven Berhane, expressed frustration and distrust towards their management company and the health department. Berhane described receiving a notice about the potential presence of Legionella months after the initial outbreak, citing scheduling concerns and lack of transparency.
"I thought Legionnaires' was over," she said. "It honestly created and amplified what is already a level of distrust that most Black and brown folks have when it comes to our health care systems, and also with management."
Berhane's experience highlights the complexities surrounding waterborne illnesses in densely populated areas like New York City. Water sampling remains underway, but officials caution that results may take weeks to arrive.
The city's protocols require building owners to hire experts to assess their water system's vulnerability to Legionella when two or more residents test positive for the disease within a 12-month period. In this case, Urban American management is working closely with health department officials to test both Tower A and B's water systems, citing safety as their top priority.
With most cases of Legionnaires' disease going unreported due to lack of evidence linking them to specific sources, residents are demanding swift action from their management company to ensure the water system is safe.
When things go wrong, don't look for fault in the people trying to fix them, look at the process they're using to try and fix it. The key is not the man, the key is the machine. 
. Sharing plumbing systems makes this super tricky to track down where the contaminated water came from. And what really gets my goat is those building owners are just doing the bare minimum - they're only hiring experts when there's a complaint, not proactively maintaining their water systems. It's like, we get it, you wanna keep costs low, but at what cost? 
how can people even live with this uncertainty? I mean, i get it, sharing plumbing systems can be a nightmare, but come on! shouldn't they've checked for legionella months ago when the first cases came up? 
and ugh, the lack of transparency is just ridiculous. residents are literally being kept in the dark about their own health risks. like, what even is the point of hiring experts if you're not gonna keep people in the loop?! 
. First we got people dying in Central Harlem and now it's like we're living in a ticking time bomb 
waiting for another outbreak. I mean, what's the point of having health department if they can't even get things right? The fact that management company is saying there's no indication whether residents contracted the disease in their apartment or elsewhere is just a bunch of corporate speak 
. We need real answers and real action now 
. Why should we have to suffer like this? It's not like we're asking for much, just some transparency and accountability from our so called "leaders" 
. This Legionnaires' outbreak has got my blood boiling 
, and I'm gonna be keeping a close eye on how things play out in Harlem 
.
i'm so tired of black and brown folks being marginalized in healthcare systems already 
. It's so frustrating that they're still waiting for results and feeling left in the dark from their management company. Like, come on! You guys should be like Clueless, you know? 
But seriously, this is a major health concern and we need to take action ASAP. I'm all about that transparency life, you know? And can we talk about how the system is already failing our communities of color? Like, it's not like they're asking for much, just some basic safety measures and accountability from their management company. It's wild that people are still dying from these preventable illnesses 
- I'm living in NY and I thought we had better infrastructure than this. Who's holding these building owners accountable for putting people's lives at risk? I mean, what even is the point of having a health department if they can't ensure their buildings are safe? This whole situation is just so frustrating 
and it's crazy that two people tested positive for the disease in these identical buildings, I mean what are the chances? 
just got word that NYC's health department is investigating Harlem buildings after 2 residents tested positive for Legionnaires' disease 
- it's a total bummer, especially since this comes just months after another outbreak left 6 people dead 
I mean, these buildings are identical and share plumbing systems, so it's not like they're trying to hide something 
. The fact that management is being all secretive about it just adds to the frustration - can you blame them for trusting no one after this? 
. Management company's response of 'safety as our top priority' sounds like just that – a PR stunt 
come on management company, do better! 
. Can we please just prioritize public health and make sure our water systems are safe? 
.
, city needs to step up their game here 
, btw, it's not like this is the first time Legionnaires' has hit Harlem either... should've fixed the pipes years ago 
It's not like it's rocket science, folks! Just fix the pipes already!