Inspections for the Legionella bacteria in New York City’s cooling towers sank to a record post-pandemic low in the months leading up to an outbreak of the disease in East Harlem that has so far killed three people, according to a Gothamist analysis of publicly available health data.

A spokesperson for the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene blamed a staffing shortage for the decline.

The agency has the authority to test water in cooling towers and issue violations to owners who fail to comply with prevention measures. After a Legionnaires' outbreak that sickened 138 people and killed 16 a decade ago, city law requires building owners to test for Legionella bacteria every three months.

In 2017, the first year of inspections, the agency inspected 5,200 cooling towers and i

See Full Page