BP Calls for Inspections After Third Legionnaires’ Death in The Bronx
(DNAINFO) Eddie Small, Gwynne Hogan and Ben Fractenberg — A third person died after contracting Legionnaires’ disease and the number of people sickened in the borough rose to 57 people, the mayor’s office confirmed.
News of the third death prompted Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. to call for regular city inspections of building air conditioning systems and water infrastructure after the second outbreak in the borough this year.
In January, 12 people in Co-op City were afflicted with the disease that was traced back to the building’s cooling system.
“The city must create a new inspection system for these systems, just as we inspect other critical systems such as elevators,” Diaz said in a statement.
“My office will work with our City Council members and the appropriate agencies to craft new legislation that would deal with this issue in the coming days.”