Residents of a Queens building fed up with fumes from temporary boiler that's been there for almost 2 years

Some residents of a Queens building say a temporary boiler truck parked outside has become a nearly two-year fixture, emitting smoke they say drifts into their homes. 

Residents expected the boiler to serve as a temporary measure while a steam line was repaired, but they say it remains in place nearly two years later, now scrawled with graffiti.

Now resident-controlled with its own board, Forest Hills MHA was once a New York City Housing Authority property. Some residents say the transition has left an accountability vacuum. 

City records show violations for the property, including a boiler fuel leak and unlawful smoke, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in fines.  

Yoga instructor Jeana Barenboim is pregnant with her second child and can see the curbside mobile boiler from her front-facing apartment.

"I'm worrying about what I'm eating and what I'm drinking and all of this stuff, and I cannot control what I'm breathing every single day," she said. 

She says the air purifiers she bought have done little to combat the boiler fumes seeping through closed windows.

"It's uncomfortable, and it's disgusting," she said. "It smells like literal exhaust being blown in your face."

She says her family's doctors have written to building management expressing concern that the emissions could contribute to breathing problems.

"I don't know what it's doing to us, and the unknown is so scary," she said.

Barenboim says she has submitted repeated requests for an apartment transfer farther away from the boiler. She says her efforts have gotten little traction amid a revolving door of managers.

"I've made multiple complaints to 311," she said.

"It is an eyesore. It's horrible," resident Janelle Burgess said.

Residents call it a symbol of broader infrastructure problems. 

"From the cellar to the roof, we need an overhaul," Burgess said.

CBS News New York contacted Prestige Management, which took over as managing agent of the property in June. 

"Since taking over management, we have been conducting a comprehensive assessment of all three buildings. Our focus has been on prioritizing critical repairs, addressing residents' concerns, and developing a recovery plan," Horace Henry of Prestige Management said in a statement. 

Henry said he's directed there be "a thorough inspection and maintenance of the temporary boiler to ensure it is operating safely and efficiently." 

You can see the full statement below. 

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