Hello,

I have been experiencing eye and lung irritation after moving into a new condo. I think this may be caused by drywall dust in the HVAC ducts. Whenever I run my AC I notice a strong odor near the end of the cycle. It kind of smells like maple syrup. I got a ladder and looked at my supply and return vents. The internal lining of the flex ducts in the supply vents look clean, but the edges of the flex ducts look like they're covered in paint or drywall dust. The filter in the return vent looked clean.

Is there anyway to determine if drywall dust is coming from my supply vents? I'm apprehensive of removing the registers to check because I don't want to damage the ducts or disrupt any of the settled dust.

This condo is in a large complex building that was opened earlier this year. There is still some construction going on in the ground floor. I have never moved into a unit in a brand new building before. I'm wondering if this is a normal issue that will go away after awhile. If this is a normal issue then can I speed up the process by installing air filters in my supply vents?