NYC mayor signs anti-Legionnaires' bill

NEW YORK — Mayor Bill de Blasio signed legislation Tuesday that city officials hope will ward off future outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease like the current outbreak that has killed 12 and sickened 127.

The legislation requires landlords to register, inspect and clean air-conditioning cooling towers on a regular basis, as well as to certify those towers. The legislation went into effect immediately, and landlords have 30 days to respond to the requirements. If they don't, the city may coordinate cleaning of a tower and bill the owner, de Blasio said.

So far, response was positive, de Blasio said during a news conference at City Hall Tuesday.

"We're getting great cooperation from building owners, from real estate organizations," de Blasio said during a news conference at City Hall. "City, state, federal, Port Authority — everyone's working together to get all of their buildings evaluated and cleaned."

The outbreak was largely contained to the South Bronx, and cases were first reported In July. The discovery prompted the temporary shutdown of a movie theater.

Legionnaires' disease, a severe form of pneumonia, is spread when someone breathes in mist or vapor from a contaminated water system or mechanism. The ailment first grabbed national attention in 1976, after it was discovered among attendees of an American Legion state convention in Philadelphia.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, who has been calling for beefed up inspections to prevent Legionnaires', praised the mayor's move.

"This is a great step for this city," Diaz said. "As the scope of this outbreak came into focus, I proposed that we create an inspection mechanism for cooling towers and other infrastructure, in order to prevent future outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease. This legislation fulfills that goal, and will help ensure the health and safety of not only Bronxites, but residents of all five boroughs."

The bill signing makes New York the first city to institute such a requirement, Stephen Morse, director of infectious diseases for Columbia University Medical Center, said on The Cats Round Table radio program.

One effective way to prevent Legionnaires' in structures is "you can test it and clean it, which is what the city is recommending doing, and I think that's very forward looking," Morse said Monday before the bill signing.

Morse also managed a research arm of the Department of Defense.

Several city agencies will take part in identifying any and all buildings in the city, including the Fire Department, the Police Department, the Office of Emergency Management and the Department of Environmental Protection, he said.

Of the 127 who have been sickened, 102 were treated at the hospital and discharged, de Blasio said.