Protection Against Legionella: Cooling Tower Requirements

Cooling Towers and Legionella Protection
Subpart 4-1 of the NYS Sanitary Code was passed in July 2016 requiring all cooling tower owners and/or operators in NY State to sample, maintain, register, disinfect, and notify the local health department and the public of any elevated levels of legionella.

Under the Legionella regulation, the term “cooling tower” means a cooling tower, evaporative condenser or fluid cooler that is part of a recirculated water system incorporated into a building’s cooling, industrial process, refrigeration, or energy production system. Most cooling towers are used for air conditioning and are shut down in the fall and opened again in the spring.

Most healthy individuals do not become infected with Legionella bacteria after exposure. People at higher risk of getting sick are those 50 years of age or older, current or former smokers, those with a chronic lung disease (like COPD or emphysema), those with a weak immune system from diseases like cancer, diabetes, or kidney failure, and people who take drugs that suppress (weaken) the immune system (like after a transplant operation or chemotherapy).

Legionnaires’ disease can have symptoms similar to pneumonia (lung infection), therefore it can be hard to diagnose at first. Signs of Legionnaires’ disease can include cough, shortness of breath, high fever, muscle aches, and headaches. These symptoms usually begin 2 to 10 days after being exposed to the bacteria.

Most healthy individuals do not become infected with Legionella bacteria after exposure. People at higher risk of getting sick are those 50 years of age or older, current or former smokers, those with a chronic lung disease (like COPD or emphysema), those with a weak immune system from diseases like cancer, diabetes, or kidney failure, and people who take drugs that suppress (weaken) the immune system (like after a transplant operation or chemotherapy).

Legionnaires’ disease can have symptoms similar to pneumonia (lung infection), therefore it can be hard to diagnose at first. Signs of Legionnaires’ disease can include cough, shortness of breath, high fever, muscle aches, and headaches. These symptoms usually begin 2 to 10 days after being exposed to the bacteria.

Subpart 4-1 of the NYS Sanitary Code was passed in July 2016 requiring all cooling tower owners and/or operators in NY State to sample, maintain, register, disinfect, and notify the local health department and the public of any elevated levels of legionella.

Questions about Legionella and Cooling Towers can be answered by calling the Saratoga County Department of Health at (518)-584-7460 or sending an email to .

For more information, please see the following resources:
Register a Cooling Tower & Submit Reports

Cooling Tower Registry How-to-Guide

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