Legionnaires' Disease Lawyer

Why Cooling Towers Are Used in AI-Driven Data Centers—and Why That Matters for Public Health

As the world races to harness the power of artificial intelligence, the physical infrastructure behind AI is expanding at an unprecedented rate. Massive data centers—home to the servers powering models like GPT-5—are being built across the country. But with these high-performance computing facilities comes a lesser-known risk: the potential for outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease due to the use of cooling towers.

High Heat, High Stakes: Why Cooling Towers?

AI models require enormous computational power. Training a large language model or powering real-time AI tools demands rows of high-performance chips—GPUs, TPUs, and other accelerators—which produce extreme heat.

To manage this heat, many AI data centers rely on evaporative cooling systems that use cooling towers. These towers remove heat by circulating water and releasing it into the atmosphere through evaporation, making them far more energy-efficient than traditional air-based cooling systems—especially at hyperscale.

But energy savings come at a cost.

Water-Efficiency Tradeoffs—and a Public Health Warning

Cooling towers may reduce energy consumption, but they are water intensive. Worse, when not properly maintained, these systems can create the ideal breeding ground for Legionella bacteria—the cause of Legionnaires’ disease, a potentially fatal pneumonia.

How Cooling Towers Can Spread Legionnaires’ Disease

1. Warm Water = Bacterial Growth
   1. Cooling towers circulate warm water—ideal conditions for Legionella to multiply if disinfectant levels are inadequate.
2. Aerosolized Water = Risk to Humans
   1. These towers release fine water droplets into the air. If these droplets contain Legionella, people nearby can inhale them and become seriously ill.
3. Outbreaks Have Happened Before
   1. The CDC, WHO, and ECDC all recognize cooling towers as the leading environmental source of Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks.
   2. In 2015, over 120 people in the Bronx became ill due to a single contaminated tower.

Why AI Data Centers Raise the Risk

• Hyperscale Expansion: Tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Meta are building or retrofitting massive campuses to support AI operations.
• Heavy Water Use: Evaporative cooling is common in places like Iowa, Utah, Arizona, and Oregon, where water use by AI facilities has drawn public concern.
• Environmental Overlap: These facilities are often built near residential or urban areas, putting nearby communities at risk if towers aren’t carefully managed.

Real-World Examples

• Meta’s facilities in Utah and Iowa use evaporative cooling.
• Google and Microsoft use hybrid cooling strategies combining water and air.
• In Arizona, journalists and environmental groups have raised concerns about the strain on local water supplies from AI data centers.

Is This Preventable?

Absolutely. Legionnaires’ disease is eminently preventable when data centers follow established safety practices:

1. Design Smarter: Use air-cooled, direct-to-chip, or liquid immersion cooling where possible.
2. Follow ASHRAE 188: Implement a Legionella Water Management Plan, with regular testing and maintenance.
3. Disinfect and Monitor: Clean towers biannually, monitor for biofilm, and test for Legionella.
4. Regulate and Report: Require tower registration, public disclosure of test results, and enforcement of disinfection standards.
5.  

What Can You Do?

If you’re concerned about cooling towers near you—or if an AI data center is being proposed in your area—you can:

• File a public records request (FOIA) to find out if the facility uses cooling towers.
• Urge your local government to adopt cooling tower registration and testing rules.
• Ask tech companies to commit to water-saving, health-conscious cooling technologies.

Summary:
 Cooling towers are a critical component of AI infrastructure—but without strong water management, they pose a significant and preventable health risk. As we build the future of computing, we must not ignore the very real consequences for public health today.