There's something in the air in Center City Allentown.  It's dust from the hockey arena demolition. 

Some of the former buildings dated back to the 1800s and contained large amounts of absestos and other toxic elements.  The project's developers, though, have gone to great lengths to make sure air quality is not compromised around the site.

Allentown's newest spectator sport is a spot where the first hockey game won't be played for another two years.

"There was a lot of people out here," said Kathryn Weed, who came out to watch demolition for the arena.

"Probably a good 30, 50 people out here watching it," added spectator David Ingle.

The city's new sports and entertainment complex will be a modern marvel, but first, monuments of eras gone by must make way.

"Aw geez, my grandmother used to dance down at the Lyric there," said lifelong Allentown resident Jim Bower.  "There's been Zollinger's.  There's been department stores here."

Those monuments have created quite a mess.

"It was really dusty," said Ingle.

Asked if she knew what was in that dust, Weed said: "No, not really."

Bob Pfromm is the guy charged with making sure you don't breathe in something toxic near the demolition site.

"Any kind of asbestos products, there's usually a lot you find in old buildings like this," he said.

Pfromm's company, SSM Group of Reading, spent more than a month surveying the buildings that used to stand there.

"And all of that [toxic material] was delineated where it was located and then crews... came in and did removal of all those materials," he said.

SSM crews removed were insulation, fluorescent lights, and radiators, shipping to specially-certified landfills.  Dust is kept down by water hoses.

"They're trying their best to water it down," said Bower.

Air quality at the site is constantly monitored by several small units, as well as private and city inspectors.

Spectators are undeterred.

"If you've got allergies, yeah it'll bother you, but I don't think it hurt anybody," said Weed.

One building that hasn't had asbestos removal yet is the Rite Aid on Hamilton Street.  The city is still acquiring that property through eminent domain.

Also Tuesday, the Allentown Planning Commission gave final approval to the hockey arena plan in a 4-0 vote.