Chair Schulman on remediation thresholds and comparison to Toronto standards
Schulman asks about NYC's remediation threshold of 1,000 CFU/ml versus Toronto's 10, and whether lowering it would help. Martin and Schiff clarify that NYC also requires action at the 10 CFU level, matching Toronto's standard.
Based on current DOHMH rules, full remediation including cleaning and hyperhalogenation.
Is only required when Legionella culture results from a cooling tower indicate levels of the bacteria above a thousand CFU milliliters.
In Toronto, they do it at 10, which obviously is really low.
We do it at a really high.
Do you think that if we lowered that, that that would be helpful?
Yeah, let me say a few words and then hand it to Deputy Commissioner Corinne Schiff.
First of all, we are in communication with the team in Vancouver.
Okay.
And we are working closely to learn from them, and they are learning from us.
There is this question of what to do at the 10 CFU line when it comes to the bacteria levels.
We both agree, our system and Vancouver's system, that that needs to be treated.
And that is what happens here.
We do demand and require that building owners treat at that 10 unit level.
So, you know, things are not going untreated here.
But there is a difference beyond the treatment, and I'll hand it to Deputy Commissioner Kernship.
I agree, Commissioner.
The level that you just...
referenced chair is the same level that we have here.
Our regulation has very detailed requirements for levels of Legionella bacteria and the corrective action that is required, and ours starts at that very same level that you have cited for Toronto.
Thank you.