Legionnaires disease-causing bacteria found in NYPD precincts air-conditioning tower

An air-conditioning tower at a Queens police precinct tested positive for a trace amount of bacteria that causes the potentially deadly Legionnaires’ disease, city health officials said Tuesday.Testing at the 112th Precinct station house along a busy Forest Hills street found a low exposure level of Legionella bacteria in the tower, prompting it to be drained and disinfected, officials and law-enforcement sources said.The small amount of bacteria was considered “Level 2,” low enough that it is not likely to cause any danger and doesn’t require notification of occupants under state law, sources said.But NYPD officials still notified cops in the precinct out of an abundance of caution — and union leaders with the Sergeants Benevolent Association warned their members to seek immediate medical attention if they developed symptoms, according to a memo obtained by The Post.“At this time, no patients with confirmed Legionnaires’ disease have reported working at the 112th Precinct and there are no concerns for the public health or the NYPD’s workforce related to the cooling tower at this location,” a city Health Department rep said.“There is no risk to public health or the workforce there and no one has gotten sick.It is also safe to drink the water and shower there.”The low-positive test and subsequent warning came as a recent Legionnaires’ disease outbreak on the Upper East Side that killed 11 people has wound down.The Manhattan outbreak led to a torrent of criticism for Mayor Zohran Mamdani and health officials, whose critics accused of failing to act quickly enough to both detect the insidious microbes and thwart the outbreak.Building owners are required under city law to test cooling towers where the bacteria can fester and thrive during hot summer weather every 31 days.The Queens precinct — which serves Forest Hills and Rego Park — on Austin Street had its air-conditioning tower test results come in Sept.

2, yielding a low positive, source...