Yankee Stadium Cooling Tower Shows Preliminary Legionella DNA During South Bronx Investigation

A preliminary test found Legionella DNA in a Yankee Stadium cooling tower during New York City’s investigation of a likely South Bronx cluster of Legionnaires’ disease. The finding does not establish that live bacteria were present or that the stadium caused any illness.

The tower was drained, cleaned and disinfected on Sunday, September 13, after the Health Department ordered 10 South Bronx cooling towers with preliminary positive PCR results to complete remediation by Monday, September 14. The Associated Press reported that Yankee Stadium was among the locations affected.

What the city found

The Health Department said the 10 towers were in ZIP codes 10451 and 10456, covering parts of Melrose and Morrisania. The city’s official list includes addresses on Concourse Village West, East 149th Street, East 161st Street, Franklin Avenue, Melrose Avenue, Park Avenue, Teller Avenue and Washington Avenue.

The Health Department’s investigation page, updated September 13, lists 10 diagnosed cases, including one death. Three people were hospitalized, five were discharged and one was not hospitalized. The department’s September 13 notice had reported nine cases as of September 12, so the later webpage update reflects the current count used here.

What a positive PCR result means

A positive PCR result detects traces of Legionella DNA. It cannot determine whether the bacteria were alive or dead, and it does not establish that a cooling tower was the source of anyone’s exposure. Only live Legionella bacteria can cause illness.

The Health Department is also conducting culture testing on samples from the towers. Culture results can take up to two weeks and are intended to show which towers had live Legionella growing when the water samples were collected. Even a culture-positive result would not, by itself, prove that a tower caused a particular illness.

Legionnaires’ disease is generally contracted by breathing in mist containing live Legionella bacteria. It is not spread from person to person, and the Health Department says people cannot get it by drinking tap water or using air conditioning.

Stadium response

The Yankees said the stadium tower was drained and cleaned Sunday morning. The team also said its most recent testing, conducted August 20 using a different method from the city’s testing, was negative for Legionella, according to AP.

The Yankees said no current case has been associated with Yankee Stadium. City officials have not identified the stadium as the source of the South Bronx cluster, and the Health Department had not asked the Yankees to postpone games, according to AP.

Guidance for residents and visitors

People who live or work in Melrose or Morrisania, or who visited the area since late August, should contact a health care provider immediately if they develop flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough or difficulty breathing. The illness can be serious but is treatable when diagnosed early.

The Health Department says it remains safe to shower, drink tap water, use air conditioning and remain inside the affected buildings unless officials issue different guidance. The agency says there is no additional risk from being inside any of the 10 buildings with towers that initially tested positive by PCR.

The department is scheduled to hold an in-person community town hall at 6 p.m. Tuesday, September 15, at Metropolitan College, 463 East 149th Street in the Bronx.

What comes next

Culture results are the next major update in the investigation. They may clarify whether live Legionella was present in the sampled towers, but the source of the illnesses remains unconfirmed.

For now, the stadium cleaning is a precautionary response to a preliminary finding, not proof that Yankee Stadium caused the cluster. The city’s culture results and any subsequent source investigation will determine what officials can conclude about the outbreak.

Sources

• NYC Health Department cooling-tower remediation notice
• Associated Press report on Yankee Stadium’s cooling tower

Look for updates to this story

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