Health Hazards of Pigeons
Both humans and animals can be affected. The disease is transmitted to humans by airborne fungus spores from soil contaminated by pigeon and starling droppings (as well as from the droppings of other birds and bats). ... On occasion, the disease can cause high fever, blood abnormalities, pneumonia and even death. Transmission of diseases such as histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, and psittacosis (ornithosis). Attraction of ticks, mites, cockroaches and rats. Unpleasant odour and noise issues. Damage to buildings and monuments due to the highly corrosive nature of pigeon droppings. Extensive damage to air-conditioning units and other roof top machinery.
Balcony safety in high-rise living
On a high-rise balcony, the risk of a fall is simply too high to ever take chances. Kids must be supervised closely when on the balcony for their own safety. They also must be watched so they don't harm others.
Why are balconies dangerous?
A person faces serious danger if she walks out onto a second-floor balcony with rotting floor wood, for example. The wood may crack, leading the person to trip or fall. Even concrete balconies suffer deterioration and surface cracks from exposure to strong winds and harsh weather conditions.
That was a few years back in 1991 when I heard news about famed singer Eric Clapton’s son. He literally ran out of an open full-height window in the apartment owned by his mother’s friend where they stayed while on holiday. The window, about six feet high and four feet wide, was negligently left open after it was cleaned by a housekeeper. The boy entered the room and darted past both his nanny and the housekeeper and fell out onto a neighboring building. The window was not designed to be opened, and strangely, was not properly fitted with security features. The toddler plummeted down 29 floors. In another incident in the United Kingdom, a 5-year-old boy came within minutes of falling 30 meters to his death after climbing onto the balcony of a midrise flat as his mother took a nap inside. An onlooker managed to video the nerve-wracking incident after calling in the police. The little boy sat, while swinging and dangling his legs, in what looked like a happy appreciation of the expansive view in front of him. Fortunately, the police came to his rescue.