Cuomo Cites 'Good Progress' on Legionnaires' Testing

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said state inspectors have been sent to more than 60 cooling towers in the Bronx to test them for the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease. They're working with city health inspectors to identify, test and disinfect the sites. 

A total of 10 cooling towers have tested positive for the legionella bacteria and were all treated, according to the city's health department. A spokeswoman for the agency said the locations are:

- 1086 Simpson Street, a police station

- 1118 Grand Concourse, a New York City Housing Court facility

- 245 East 161st Street, Bronx Hall of Justice

- 554 Grand Concourse, a U.S. Post Office 

- 455 Southern Boulevard, Samuel Gompers Educational Campus

Officials said the death toll has stood at 10 for three days, with no new cases reported since August 3rd. A total of 109 people have came down with the respiratory illness in the largest outbreak in city history.

"I think we made good progress, I think we are ahead of it now," Cuomo told reporters before marching in the city's annual Dominican Day Parade.

Cuomo said he also wants the state to develop a system for keeping track of where all cooling towers are, with protocols for inspections.

"Some cities have a registry of cooling towers so they know where these cooling towers are. Some cities have no registry," he explained, a reference to New York City.

"We are literally going building to building to find out where the cooling towers are," he added. "Some owners have been very good about testing their cooling systems and testing for bacteria, some owners have been terrible. So I want to make sure we have a statewide system, statewide protocols."

The governor did not elaborate on which building owners he didn't think were being aggressive enough about inspections.

Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration announced last week that it will introduce its own legislation for inspections this coming week in the City Council. In a another possible sign of tension between the mayor and the governor, the city and state are each pursuing new regulatory standards for inspections.

"Once passed, New York City will lead the way, becoming the first city to establish standards," said the mayor's press secretary, Karen Hinton, in an email on Sunday. "The CDC has praised our city agencies for their prompt response to the outbreak."

The Real Estate Board of New York, which represents building owners, has signaled support for regulating inspections.

"Building owners we've spoken to are responding appropriately," said Jamie McShane, REBNY's Senior Vice President of Communications. "REBNY supports an effective and efficient system of registering, inspecting and, when necessary, treating cooling towers."

Legionnaires' can be contracted by breathing in mist from cooling towers contaminated with the Legionella bacteria. Why the disease has hit the South Bronx so hard remains a mystery, although cooling towers are especially susceptible breeding grounds for the bacteria.