16-23: New York Legionella Regulations: Are They Missing The Boat?

A large outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the Bronx in 2015 prompted NYC to enact law and NYS to propose emergency regulations on the registration and maintenance of cooling towers. This paper describes the fundamental characteristics of point sourced vs. potable water sourced outbreaks and discusses the Bronx outbreak from those perspectives. Ultimately a case is made that these new regulations will not have a measurable impact on reducing the incidence of Legionellosis. Rather, more detailed and open-minded investigations of future outbreaks, including investigation of potential potable water sources, are called for to inform appropriate regulations and disease prevention activities.