11-17-2013, 05:08 PM
Cbelt,
He's in an old, pre-war building. It may not be shoddy work. Just age. That and I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss asbestos or other potentially dangerous materials. For example, asbestos is common in pre-ware buildings. I know from experience. That and the vent may not have been a chimney.
Although possibly a vent, Likely, it could be a slew of other things, i.e. dumbwaiter, trash chute. You name it. My building had both dumbwaiters and trash chutes. No vents that are immediately accessible from the inside of the apartments, though.
My concern is what is in the dust and that it could be floating in the air and possibly pose a health risk. He definitely needs to contact his landlord about this one way or the other. And, he should do it quickly, regardless of the difficulty.
Robert
He's in an old, pre-war building. It may not be shoddy work. Just age. That and I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss asbestos or other potentially dangerous materials. For example, asbestos is common in pre-ware buildings. I know from experience. That and the vent may not have been a chimney.
Although possibly a vent, Likely, it could be a slew of other things, i.e. dumbwaiter, trash chute. You name it. My building had both dumbwaiters and trash chutes. No vents that are immediately accessible from the inside of the apartments, though.
My concern is what is in the dust and that it could be floating in the air and possibly pose a health risk. He definitely needs to contact his landlord about this one way or the other. And, he should do it quickly, regardless of the difficulty.
Robert