Over 150 NC State Students Report Cancer Diagnosis with Possible Link to Poe Hall PCBs

Concern increases as reported cancer cases among North Carolina State University alumni have risen to 150 due to potential exposure to a carcinogen while studying in the university’s Poe Hall. Of the former NC State students diagnosed with cancer, approximately 3 out of every 4 are female.

Poe Hall is a seven-story building built in 1971 and was home to NC State’s College of Education and Psychology departments, according to NC State’s facilities website.

NC State conducted preliminary testing of materials in Poe Hall when an employee shared health concerns related to the building in August 2023 with the school’s environmental health and safety unit, according to NC State Vice Chancellor Warwick Arden.

“The concerns specifically mentioned [polychlorinated biphenyls] PCBs, along with lead and asbestos,” the vice chancellor said.

In either October or November 2023, North Carolina State University’s Poe Hall was found to have PCBs in its building materials. PCBs can negatively affect an individual’s neurological, reproductive, immune and endocrine systems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They are also linked to cancer and considered to be “probable human carcinogens.”

NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson and Arden were prompted to close Poe Hall and “bring in professionals to conduct more comprehensive testing,” Arden said during a 39-minute webinar last week.

Woodson said the school is not “formally collecting health data” because the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is working on its health hazard evaluation which includes the school providing the federal agency with information on all the occupants in the building. The NIOSH is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to WRAL 5 On Your Side, the free federal investigation conducted by NIOSH had the ability to conduct medical exams, review reports of illness and collect samples. But in January 2024, the investigation was called off.

According to the CDC, NIOSH couldn’t conduct either without NC State’s involvement. The CDC formerly wrote that NIOSH does “not have the authority to proceed with its evaluation without the cooperation of NCSU.

In February of 2024, NC State formally requested NIOSH open a new health hazard evaluation, reported USA Today.

When asked about the status of the evaluation Wednesday, CDC spokesperson Lisa George told The News & Observer (The N&O) that “NIOSH does not provide details about ongoing evaluations.”

The university is not currently providing health testing for students, faculty or staff who worked or attended classes in Poe Hall. Woodson said the university would consider offering tests if a state or federal agency asked NC State to do so but said that has not happened yet.

Poe Hall also tested positive for PCBs in 2018, according to records obtained by WRAL.

The presence of PCBs was detected in the caulking of the building’s exterior. According to the 2018 report from Matrix Health & Safety Consultants, LLC, caulk samples collected on the exterior of Poe Hall showed PCB levels up to 17,000 parts per million (ppm). PCBs in excess of 50 ppm are considered hazardous special waste according to the EPA. The report continues, noting that leaching of PCBs into the surrounding substrates, or layers, is a possibility.

In a statement, Arden told some NC State employees that the 2018 testing was part of a waterproofing project and standard practice, according to WRAL. No further testing was conducted at that time.

Three types of PCBs have been found at Poe Hall – Aroclor 1254 and Aroclor 1268 outside of Poe in 2018  and Aroclor 1262 found inside of Poe in 2023 according to WRAL.

USA Today reported the following Poe Hall timeline of events:

• 1972: Poe Hall is built
• 2018: PCBs were first detected at Poe Hall on the building’s exterior during a waterproofing project
• August 2023: employee raises alarm to NC State’s environmental health and safety unit
• October/November 2023: NC State finds PCBs in building material inside of Poe Hall
• February 2024: NC State formally requested NIOSH open a new health hazard evaluation
• March 2024: NC State hosted an informational webinar for its faculty, staff and students in the College of Education and Department of Psychology

NC State has created a website documenting its investigation into Poe Hall that dates back to August 2023 when the school received the initial concern from faculty, Arden said. The website will continue to be updated as the investigation into the campus building continues, he added.

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