At the rate it was crumbling, it seemed that I may well be able to dig through all 10 inches the concrete with my hand, all the way into the basement in about 10 minutes with only my bare hand.Is the cause of this deterioration something due to the original concrete mix 100 years ago or is it some sort of environmental issue, like water.  

Luckily, the renovations fell short of the 50% threshold and were approved by the Environmental Protection Board.

First stop, call your local health department or whomever oversees environmental permitting.

Concrete has a pretty big environmental footprint so reducing it to uses that only it can accomplish is something to keep in mind.Do you need to hit net zero for the project to be successful?

Less environmental red tape on the East side of town.

You'll want an idea of how well the tenants are doing too.What are the environmental issues in your area with the industrial use and laundry?

Tell them to email you with a contact number and not to call you directlyDon't answer unknown calls.Many people were calling offering environmental / clean up services as well as public adjusters looking for the job.

Thus, I suggest you either A)get access to those professionals fast or B) at least bring in a general contractor and include in your contract that you agree to buy 'as-is' providing there are no structural or environmental issues (ie toxic mold) with the property.Basically you're telling the owner "yes I have no problem buying as is providing there are no serious issues I'm not able to detect with my or my contractor's inspections.

It's a social problem, based on cultural beliefs and environmental aspects, especially by regions of our country, rural and metropolitan areas.

Kyle Zaylor is correct in saying it's like herding cats, because there are so many different agencies, departments, professionals, tradespeople that have to be dealt with, and if you run into any environmental concerns, it multiplies.