The bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease has been found inside the cooling tower of Manhattan’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, but the building remains safe for employees and visitors, according to both the museum and the union that represents its workers. The disease is spread by breathing in fine water droplets that contain the bacteria Legionella, and is not contagious through person-to-person contact. Cooling towers act as vents for a building’s air-conditioning system, pushing the hot air outdoors; they do not interact with its water supply.
As the threat of Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia, continues to rock Manhattan’s Upper East Side, city inspectors have been checking the area’s cooling towers for signs of the bacteria. According to an internal email sent the Guggenheim’s staff on Wednesday (8 July), an inspection of the museum’s cooling tower earlier this week came back positive for Legionella.
“We do regular, monthly testing and cleaning of our cooling towers using third-party expert companies,” reads the staff email, which was seen by The Art Newspaper. It further notes that “all remediation required by the city was taken immediately”.
“Our testing consultant has said that this poses no risk to anyone in the building except for people in direct contact with the cooling tower, which is not accessible to the public or staff other than facilities staff,” the email continues.
Reached for comment, a Guggenheim spokesperson reiterated these points. “The Guggenheim New York follows all New York City cooling tower requirements and regulations,” reads the museum’s statement. “We have been advised that there is no additional action needed at this time and this poses no risk to anyone inside the building, with the exception of a limited number of facilities staff who regularly work in proximity to the cooling tower. This limited number of facilities staff have been informed and are taking the appropriate precautions. The safety of our staff and visitors is our utmost priority."
Earlier today (9 July), Guggenheim leadership held an emergency meeting with UAW Local 2110, the union representing employees of the museum. According to Olga Brudastova, the president of UAW Local 2110, the union is satisfied with the museum’s response thus far. “They have conducted remediation and will be retesting the tower for Legionella next week to see whether further remediation is needed,” she tells The Art Newspaper. “The Guggenheim is following all of the systems and protocols, and the city hasn’t suggested any additional measures.”
This news comes at a particularly fragile time for workers at the Guggenheim. Last month, 93% of unionised staff voted to authorise a strike in the face of prolonged contract negotiations; the museum’s first collective bargaining agreement expired at the end of last year. When asked about the possibility of a strike, Brudastova said she had no updates and that no deadlines or work-stoppage dates had been set.
As for the Legionnaires’ outbreak on the Upper East Side, the New York City Health Department has confirmed 36 cases and 22 hospitalisations linked to the illness. No deaths have been reported. The city has been sweeping the area and checking for Legionella in the cooling towers of more than 100 buildings. Mayor Zohran Mamdani recently promised to make publicly available a list of the locations where the bacteria has been found, something the city has not done in the past. Legionella, which thrives in stagnant warm water, has been proliferating at least partially as a result of the recent heat wave.
“Although the NYC Department of Health is not advising any change in daily routines or the wearing of masks,” the email to Guggenheim staff reads, “we are taking this matter seriously and will continue to take all precautions.” It ends with a link to the city’s official guidance on Legionnaires’ disease.
