An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City has killed 10 people and sickened scores of others is on the decline, health officials reported Friday.
“We now see the frequency of diagnoses decreasing, as well as the number of emergency department visits for pneumonia in the South Bronx. We have fewer new cases, people are seeking care promptly and getting treatment promptly,” said Mary Bassett commissioner of the city’s health department.
Those who died were all older adults who had other health problems, officials said. So far more than 100 people were diagnosed with the disease since the outbreak began on July 10.
“We’re optimistic that we’ve seen the worst of this outbreak, and that our remediation efforts are having an impact,” Bassett added.
On Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that all building owners had a 2-week period to clean and disinfect all water cooling towers.
The city tested the water from cooling towers at 17 different buildings and found five that tested positive, including Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx. The others include Opera House Hotel, the Concourse Plaza shopping center, Streamline Plastics, and a Verizon office building.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, de Blasio said there was no longer a threat to public health.
“We are confident, based on the medical and the scientific evidence that we have, that we have identified the only sites that are causing this outbreak, and again, they have all been cleaned,” he said.
Symptoms of the disease, which is a form of atypical pneumonia, include headaches, fatigue, loss of appetite, confusion, and diarrhea, the health department said.
“Most cases of Legionnaires’ disease can be traced to plumbing systems where conditions are favorable for Legionella growth, such as whirlpool spas, hot tubs, humidifiers, hot water tanks, cooling towers, and evaporative condensers of large air-conditioning systems,” according to the city’s health department.
In a statement on Monday, Blasio said that while the city planned to continue its comprehensive response to the outbreak, “a more systemic solution is required to prevent the cycle of these outbreaks from continuing.”
He announced plans to introduce legislation that would place an emphasis on long-term prevention of Legionnaires’ disease that will address inspections, new recommended action in the case of positive tests, and sanctions for those who fail to comply with new standards.
“Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks have become far too common over the past 10 years, and the city will respond not by only addressing an outbreak as it occurs, but with a new plan to help prevent these outbreaks from happening in the first place,” the mayor said.
Lol I heard this 3 days ago and was going to post that it's a thought of a add on service for us NY guys but I know Ray Burke knows the inside of working for municipalities! Wonder if it's worth looking into.
Just did 1200 s/f in 10 minutes 30 with setup and load out. Guess how much I got for it😆
more than I make doing 80 hrs a week busting my arse painting for Billionaires!
-- Edited by Maverick Contracting on Saturday 8th of August 2015 12:45:22 PM
Chris Mozick said
Aug 8, 2015
Can you give more input on this type of work ? Are you spraying the external side of water towers? Straight SH? Maverick I'm interested in this if you think this could be done all over the states would you mind to pm me with a bit more info please .
-- Edited by Art O on Saturday 8th of August 2015 05:57:10 PM
Art O said
Aug 8, 2015
Cooling Tower Cleaning and Maintenance
Cooling towers provide an ideal environment for the growth and incubation of many organisms, including the Legionella bacteria.
Periods of non-use (winter lay-up) exacerbate the problem. Although a consistent biocide program can reduce the risks, it is best practice to clean a cooling tower at least twice a year.
According to The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Technical Manual, all cooling towers should be thoroughly disinfected at a minimum of twice per year.
“Cooling towers should be cleaned and disinfected at least twice a year. Normally this maintenance will be performed before initial start-up at the beginning of the cooling season and after shutdown in the fall.”
- the OSHA Technical Manual – Section III: Chapter 7
At Clarity, we not only treat your towers to prevent corrosion and harmful bacteria like Legionella, but we also can manually clean and disinfect them as well. In fact, many of our clients have this service as part of their contract. The following paragraphs describe the general cleaning process.
How Clarity Can Help
Cooling Tower Fan Housing Cleaning and Maintenance
The fan housing should be carefully scrubbed and disinfected. This is a common problem area; chemical treatment cannot always prevent bacteria from getting a strong hold in these areas. Vapors from the air cause condensation to form and biological growth can be difficult to remove with traditional on-line treatment programs. Your Tower Hygiene Team will clean and disinfect this area in an effort to prevent the spread of airborne pathogens and minimize the risk of corrosion.
Cooling Tower Basin Cleaning and Maintenance
Tower basins should be cleaned and disinfected as well. These large volume areas are extremely critical as they see a large amount of the cooling water. This area pools and allows bacteria to grow. This water is also tempered, oxygen rich and provides a great breeding ground for biological activity. Cleaning, disinfecting and adding the proper chemicals to the end or start up of your cooling season can only enhance your overall water treatment program.
Cooling Tower Distribution Pan Cleaning and Maintenance
These areas can sometimes become clogged with debris that is not removed from the system through normal filtration. All distribution pans should be opened and cleaned providing increased water flow. Reduction in flow from clogged distributors can reduce the tower ability to cool water tremendously. Left untreated, this can cause major increases in energy usage.
Pricing and Costs associated with Cooling Tower Cleaning
Tower Hygiene pricing is based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, the size of the tower cells, how many cells, the location of the towers, and their overall condition.
New Solid Feed Technology
To see old problems from a new vantage point requires creativity and imagination. Bigger water treatment companies may have larger marketing budgets, but they lack the passion you will find at Clarity for finding simple solutions to real world issues.
We are turning the cooling tower water treatment industry upside down with a highly effective solid chemistry feed system that is simple, safe and environmentally friendly – it is an elegant solution to a complex problem and it may just be the best way to treat a cooling tower.
EcoSAFE Solid Feed System is the latest advancement in solid feed water treatment chemistry that not only allows for precise dosage of water treatment chemistry into a cooling system, but also provides an eco-friendly program that minimizes the handling of hazardous chemicals, eliminates the need for chemical feed pumps, eliminates spills and liquid container disposal costs and minimizes shipping costs – all of which reduces your facility’s carbon footprint! Installing EcoSAFE could help you earn additional EED points for your facility. EcoSAFE is the most innovative way to deliver time-proven chemistry.
Chris Mozick said
Aug 8, 2015
Nice info Art
Dave O said
Aug 11, 2015
I do notice a lot of water towers in my area that have black stains around the lower part of the tower.
We can do this, Just spray bleach all over them
An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City has killed 10 people and sickened scores of others is on the decline, health officials reported Friday.
“We now see the frequency of diagnoses decreasing, as well as the number of emergency department visits for pneumonia in the South Bronx. We have fewer new cases, people are seeking care promptly and getting treatment promptly,” said Mary Bassett commissioner of the city’s health department.
Those who died were all older adults who had other health problems, officials said. So far more than 100 people were diagnosed with the disease since the outbreak began on July 10.
“We’re optimistic that we’ve seen the worst of this outbreak, and that our remediation efforts are having an impact,” Bassett added.
On Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that all building owners had a 2-week period to clean and disinfect all water cooling towers.
The city tested the water from cooling towers at 17 different buildings and found five that tested positive, including Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx. The others include Opera House Hotel, the Concourse Plaza shopping center, Streamline Plastics, and a Verizon office building.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, de Blasio said there was no longer a threat to public health.
“We are confident, based on the medical and the scientific evidence that we have, that we have identified the only sites that are causing this outbreak, and again, they have all been cleaned,” he said.
Symptoms of the disease, which is a form of atypical pneumonia, include headaches, fatigue, loss of appetite, confusion, and diarrhea, the health department said.
“Most cases of Legionnaires’ disease can be traced to plumbing systems where conditions are favorable for Legionella growth, such as whirlpool spas, hot tubs, humidifiers, hot water tanks, cooling towers, and evaporative condensers of large air-conditioning systems,” according to the city’s health department.
In a statement on Monday, Blasio said that while the city planned to continue its comprehensive response to the outbreak, “a more systemic solution is required to prevent the cycle of these outbreaks from continuing.”
He announced plans to introduce legislation that would place an emphasis on long-term prevention of Legionnaires’ disease that will address inspections, new recommended action in the case of positive tests, and sanctions for those who fail to comply with new standards.
“Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks have become far too common over the past 10 years, and the city will respond not by only addressing an outbreak as it occurs, but with a new plan to help prevent these outbreaks from happening in the first place,” the mayor said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 8,000 and 18,000 people are hospitalized with the disease each year.
Lol I heard this 3 days ago and was going to post that it's a thought of a add on service for us NY guys but I know Ray Burke knows the inside of working for municipalities! Wonder if it's worth looking into.
Just did 1200 s/f in 10 minutes 30 with setup and load out. Guess how much I got for it😆
more than I make doing 80 hrs a week busting my arse painting for Billionaires!
-- Edited by Maverick Contracting on Saturday 8th of August 2015 12:45:22 PM
This topic needs a lot of research!
https://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_iii/otm_iii_7.html
-- Edited by Art O on Saturday 8th of August 2015 05:57:10 PM
Cooling towers provide an ideal environment for the growth and incubation of many organisms, including the Legionella bacteria.
Periods of non-use (winter lay-up) exacerbate the problem. Although a consistent biocide program can reduce the risks, it is best practice to clean a cooling tower at least twice a year.
According to The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Technical Manual, all cooling towers should be thoroughly disinfected at a minimum of twice per year.
“Cooling towers should be cleaned and disinfected at least twice a year. Normally this maintenance will be performed before initial start-up at the beginning of the cooling season and after shutdown in the fall.”
- the OSHA Technical Manual – Section III: Chapter 7
At Clarity, we not only treat your towers to prevent corrosion and harmful bacteria like Legionella, but we also can manually clean and disinfect them as well. In fact, many of our clients have this service as part of their contract. The following paragraphs describe the general cleaning process.
How Clarity Can Help
Cooling Tower Fan Housing Cleaning and Maintenance
The fan housing should be carefully scrubbed and disinfected. This is a common problem area; chemical treatment cannot always prevent bacteria from getting a strong hold in these areas. Vapors from the air cause condensation to form and biological growth can be difficult to remove with traditional on-line treatment programs. Your Tower Hygiene Team will clean and disinfect this area in an effort to prevent the spread of airborne pathogens and minimize the risk of corrosion.
Cooling Tower Basin Cleaning and Maintenance
Tower basins should be cleaned and disinfected as well. These large volume areas are extremely critical as they see a large amount of the cooling water. This area pools and allows bacteria to grow. This water is also tempered, oxygen rich and provides a great breeding ground for biological activity. Cleaning, disinfecting and adding the proper chemicals to the end or start up of your cooling season can only enhance your overall water treatment program.
Cooling Tower Distribution Pan Cleaning and Maintenance
These areas can sometimes become clogged with debris that is not removed from the system through normal filtration. All distribution pans should be opened and cleaned providing increased water flow. Reduction in flow from clogged distributors can reduce the tower ability to cool water tremendously. Left untreated, this can cause major increases in energy usage.
Pricing and Costs associated with Cooling Tower Cleaning
Tower Hygiene pricing is based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, the size of the tower cells, how many cells, the location of the towers, and their overall condition.
New Solid Feed Technology
To see old problems from a new vantage point requires creativity and imagination. Bigger water treatment companies may have larger marketing budgets, but they lack the passion you will find at Clarity for finding simple solutions to real world issues.
We are turning the cooling tower water treatment industry upside down with a highly effective solid chemistry feed system that is simple, safe and environmentally friendly – it is an elegant solution to a complex problem and it may just be the best way to treat a cooling tower.
EcoSAFE Solid Feed System is the latest advancement in solid feed water treatment chemistry that not only allows for precise dosage of water treatment chemistry into a cooling system, but also provides an eco-friendly program that minimizes the handling of hazardous chemicals, eliminates the need for chemical feed pumps, eliminates spills and liquid container disposal costs and minimizes shipping costs – all of which reduces your facility’s carbon footprint! Installing EcoSAFE could help you earn additional EED points for your facility. EcoSAFE is the most innovative way to deliver time-proven chemistry.