Brick powdery white and crumbling

Hello, We are thinking of buying a loft apartment in an old (more than 100 years old) building. The apartments have been very nicely built, but in two places on the interior brick wall, there is white, crumbly, dust-like stuff collecting on the wall, and a lot of the brick and mortar from the wall has flaked off and fallen on the floor. Is this kind of thing fixable? Is it just going to continue to get worse destroy the structural integrity of the building?

Thanks very much in advance for any advice.

 

Thanks for the welcome!

Unfortunately, we don't own the place yet. So to get in to take the picture, we would have to call the listing agent to come and show us the unit (again, for the 4th time).

We will probably make an offer and have an inspector look at it before we close, but I was hoping "white, powdery; brick flaking off" would ring someone's bells.

 

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090703102636AAxNLHj
Here is something about white on brick.

 

This seems to be the answer! Thanks to nealtw.

 

Sounds like water leakage. Damage could be much more than it appears on the surface.

 

Thanks, JoeD. I'm having serious second thoughts about this property.