Blog - Legionnaires' Disease Lawyer

February 3, 2026 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Legionnaires’ disease and Potting Soil: A Dangerous Combination

Gardening is a peaceful and restorative activity for millions of Americans. Yet many do not realize that some commercially sold potting soils and composts can contain naturally occurring legionella bacteria, including legionella longbeachae, a strain associated worldwide with Legionnaires’ disease. In 2024, a Georgia resident suffered a severe case of Legionnaires’ disease after using a commercially available potting soil product. After experiencing sudden respiratory symptoms, he required emergency care and intensive treatment, including prolonged hospitalization and rehabilitation. With his informed written consent, we are sharing the broad, non-identifying aspects of his experience to raise awareness about a public-health risk that remains underrecognized in the United States. Environmental testing of unused…

November 11, 2025 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Norwegian Cruise Line Warns Passengers of Legionnaires’ Disease Cases

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has issued an urgent notice to current and former passengers of the Norwegian Epic following reports that two travelers were diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease after recent voyages aboard the 4,100-passenger ship. According to a passenger email shared with Cruise Radio, the alert—sent on November 4—was distributed to guests currently sailing on the ship’s 12-night Mediterranean itinerary from Rome to Lisbon, as well as to passengers who had recently completed earlier segments of the same voyage. NCL’s notice stated that it is unclear whether the guests were exposed aboard the ship or elsewhere. The company is now…

Legionella Pneumophila Bacteria. 3D illustration

November 11, 2025 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Marshall County Declares Legionnaires’ Outbreak Over — but the Source Remains a Mystery

November 7, 2025 — Marshall County, Iowa After weeks of investigation and dozens of confirmed cases, Marshall County Public Health (MCPH) has officially declared the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak over. But despite extensive testing and cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), officials say the precise source of the bacteria was never found. The outbreak, which began in early September, sickened 74 people and led to two deaths. Health officials identified 12 business centers in north-central Marshalltown as likely locations where exposure may have occurred — all of which contained cooling towers, a common source of Legionella bacteria.…

November 3, 2025 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Cooling Towers and Data Centers

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…

September 8, 2025 zacherlaw 0 Comments

The Hunt for a Killer: Manhattan’sLegionnaires’ Outbreak and What It Reveals

“The hunt was on.” That’s how The New York Times iframed the search for thesource of the deadly Legionnaires’ disease outbreak now unfolding in Manhattan.It is an apt metaphor, because when Legionella pneumophila bacteria surface in acity like New York, the chase resembles a high-stakes detective story. The culpritsare invisible, their habitat is hidden, and the cost of delay is measured in lives. A Race Against Time The article describes how health officials, engineers, and epidemiologists havefanned out across Manhattan, scouring cooling towers, plumbing systems, androoftop reservoirs. Their mission: identify the contaminated water system seedingthe outbreak. Each day matters. Legionnaires’…

August 12, 2025 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Legionnaires’ in Harlem: When Public Health Fails the Same Neighborhoods Again and Again

It’s happening again. Another outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City — this time in central Harlem, where 73 people have fallen ill and three people have died, according to the NYC Department of Health as of August 7, 2025. Officials believe the likely culprit is a cooling tower — those big rooftop structures that help regulate temperature in buildings but can become deadly if they aren’t properly cleaned and maintained. When they’re contaminated with Legionella bacteria, they can spew mist into the air, carrying an invisible, lethal threat into the streets below. But if you’ve followed Legionnaires’ outbreaks…

August 6, 2025 zacherlaw 0 Comments

When the Mist Turns Deadly: A Legionnaires’ Outbreak in Harlem Brings Back Old Warnings

It’s the middle of summer in New York City, and the hum of air conditioners is a familiar soundtrack. But in central Harlem, that sound comes with a warning. As of August 5, at least 58 people have contracted Legionnaires’ disease — and two have died — in an outbreak believed to be tied to a contaminated cooling tower. Again. The city’s health department is testing towers in the area encompassing the zip codes 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037, and 10039, and bordering communities. So far, 11 cooling towers have tested positive for Legionella pneumophila. The city’s health department is urging…

May 29, 2025 zacherlaw 0 Comments

What happens in Vegas unfortunately stays in Vegas

Legionnaires’ Disease Investigation: Health District Warns Travelers at Las Vegas Hotels According to news reports, in an alarming update, the Southern Nevada HealthDistrict (SNHD) is currently investigating cases of Legionnaires’ disease linked to two popular Las Vegas hotels: South Point Hotel & Casino and The Grandview. This investigation comes after confirmed cases of the disease were reported among travelers who recently stayed at these properties. Unfortunately, this is not the first outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Las Vegas. This office represented numerous persons who became sick with Legionnaires’ disease while staying at the Aria. There were other outbreaks at Caesars…

May 5, 2025 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Royal Caribbean and Cruise Lines

According to some news reports, Royal Caribbean has issued a health alert to guests after a case of Legionnaires’ disease was potentially linked to its popular vessel, Symphony of the Seas. The guest sailed during March or April 2025. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not confirmed the ship as the source of exposure, the company has adopted precautionary measures, citing an “abundance of caution. This is not the first time Symphony of the Seas has been associated with potential cases. In January 2025, Royal Caribbean sent notices to passengers after two other guests were diagnosed…

March 31, 2025 zacherlaw 0 Comments

It’s Not the Environment, Stupid!

New England appears to be an epicenter for Legionnaires’ disease. To many,it might not make sense that an area given to cold weather could produce so manypeople contracting the disease. The reality, though, is that Legionnaires’ diseasedoes not need a warm climate such as Florida to grow. Rather, the disease needs anenvironment often made by human negligence. More specifically, the disease requires a warm environment frequentlyoccurring in a building’s plumbing system. A recent example might include thestate health department’s investigation of a case at the Beth Israel DeaconessHospital in Needham, Massachusetts. In that instance, a patient may havecontracted Legionnaires’ resulting…