If the bacteria is in the mist emitted by the cooling towers, it can cause people in the surrounding area to contract Legionnaires’, a type of pneumonia. However, Schiff rejected Council Speaker Adrienne Adams’ suggestion that more frequent inspections of Harlem cooling towers could have prevented the outbreak. One of those cooling towers was at Harlem Hospital, part of the city-run NYC Health and Hospitals network. City officials said at the hearing that Harlem Hospital was found to be compliant with the laws around cooling tower maintenance. The city health department has previously said the source of most of the hundreds of Legionnaires’ cases reported in the city each year is unknown.