Guggenheim Museum Among NYC Buildings Testing Positive for Legionella
7 verified1 unconfirmed
New York City’s Guggenheim Museum was among 31 Upper East Side buildings that tested positive for the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease amid the city’s latest outbreak. The city health department on Friday ordered the buildings to clean and disinfect their cooling towers. Nineteen of those buildings, including the Guggenheim, had already completed the remediation, with the remainder expected to finish by Saturday. City officials stressed that the positive test results do not confirm any building as the source of the outbreak because the tests cannot distinguish between live and dead bacteria. The museum remained open throughout the process. More than 50 people have been diagnosed in the Upper East Side cluster, with fewer than 20 still hospitalized and no deaths reported to date.
What’s verified
The Guggenheim Museum was among 31 Manhattan buildings on an Upper East Side list ordered to clean their cooling towers.
The museum was among 19 buildings that had already completed remediation; the rest were expected to finish by Saturday.
City officials said the positive tests cannot confirm any building as the outbreak source because the tests cannot distinguish live from dead bacteria.
The museum was not closed at any point due to the positive test or remediation work.
A museum statement said the city confirmed no additional action is needed and no risk to anyone inside the building; the museum conducts monthly testing and treatment of its cooling tower.
More than 50 people have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease in connection with the Upper East Side cluster, fewer than 20 remain hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
Last year, an outbreak in Harlem killed seven people and sickened more than 100, traced to cooling towers at a hospital and a construction site.
Not yet confirmed
No single-source claims identified. The sources did not specify the exact origin of the Legionella outbreak or which new buildings may be potential sources.
Misconceptions
The sources clarify that a positive test for Legionella does not confirm a building as the source of an outbreak, because the tests cannot distinguish live from dead bacteria. They also note that Legionnaires’ disease is not transmitted person-to-person and that cooling towers do not affect drinking water or the building’s indoor air or air conditioning.
Key figures
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York City)
Frank Lloyd Wright (architect of the Guggenheim)
New York City Health Department
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Sources: The Guardian, abcnews.com
