She lives in Central Harlem, which last summer was the epicenter of an outbreak. Seven people died, and 92 were hospitalized, including Hammond's close friend.
"She was there about three weeks," Hammond said.
In the end, 11 cooling towers in the area tested positive for Legionella bacteria, including one atop 2238 Fifth Ave. At the time, it was inspected by Emerlin Ortega, a water ecologist with the city Health Department.
"This is just the head of the whole body, but this is the piece that is in contact with everyone," Ortega said.
That's where fans generate water vapor that could contain Legionella.
"Towers, when they get sick, can infect other towers based on proximity," Ortega said.
That was the case last summer in Harlem, with three towers affected in a row. But now, a change.
Effective immediately, the Health Department is requiring building owners to test the water in cooling towers every 31 days instead of every 90.
"They can catch it quicker and then follow all the protocols in place to kill the bacteria," Ortega said.
After a Legionnaires' outbreak in the Bronx in 2015, the city created a team of scientists and is in the process of adding more. During inspections, they test samples and review weekly reports on site that track and monitor the health of the tower and its water.
"They need a lot more cleaning, a lot more people paying attention to their buildings," Hammond said.
All of this comes as many of the city's 6,000 cooling towers are coming back online.
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