Air conditioning brings welcome relief from the summer sweltering heat, but a recent outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City caused by poorly maintained AC units has left 90 people sick and so far, killed three. It’s the largest occurrence in the city in a decade.
According to USA Today, experts warn other areas of the country may be at risk if AC units are poorly maintained. Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia — a lung infection — caused by the Legionella bacteria. The illness gets its name from a 1976 outbreak at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia, where many attendees became ill.
The Legionella bacteria thrive in warm water environments, such as air conditioning systems, hot tubs, cooling towers, and large plumbing systems. People contract Legionnaires’ disease by inhaling tiny water droplets contaminated with the bacteria. It is not contagious and cannot be spread from person to person…