More than 150 students, staff and alumni have been diagnosed with cancers and other illnesses linked to a university building filled with toxins.
Cases of lymphoma and thyroid and breast cancer have been reported among patients who spent time in Poe Hall, a classroom building at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.
The building closed in November 2023 amid reports of exposure to concerning levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), toxic chemicals linked to cancer.
An investigation conducted the previous month found that PCB levels in five rooms were more than 38 times the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) construction limit.
The university now faces lawsuits from 152 patients who report contracting illnesses related to the toxins.
Poe Hall, a classroom building at North Carolina State University, closed amid concerns about polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which have been linked to cancer.
More than 150 people have been diagnosed with cancer linked to Poe Hall, which taught education and psychology classes to 4,000 students
Poe Hall, which taught education and psychology classes to 4,000 students, was built in 1971, when PCBs were commonly used in industrial products such as oils, insulators and electrical appliances such as televisions, lighting and refrigerators.
PCBs, including those used to build Poe Hall, were largely mass-produced by agricultural giant Monsanto until they were banned in 1979 amid concerns that they harmed humans and the environment.
According to the EPA, there is conclusive evidence that PCBs can cause cancer in animals, as well as harm their immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems.
The agency classifies these chemicals as “probably carcinogenic” to humans.
According to the CDC, exposure to PCBs can cause an increase in enzymes linked to liver damage, skin lesions, and respiratory problems.
Animal studies have shown effects such as weight loss, fatty liver, thyroid damage, and cancer.
NC State’s investigation into Poe Hall began in August 2023 when an employee filed a complaint with the North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL) Division of Occupational Safety and Health.
The complaint “alleged health and/or safety risks related to Poe Hall,” according to the university’s updates page for the investigation.
Health officials began sampling the seven-story building in October and found PCB levels more than 38 times the EPA’s safe limits for construction.
The building officially closed in November and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) recommended that the university request a Health Hazard Assessment (HHE).
An HHE is a federal investigation of a workplace to look for hazards such as carcinogens.
However, the investigation was shut down in January by NC State’s general counsel, according to the CDC.
Dr. Dallas Shi, an official with the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), wrote in a letter detailing the agency’s inability to move forward: “I explained that the Office of the General Counsel at Carolina State University North has asked us to stop our evaluation.’
‘The applicant expressed concern about the lack of communication and general distrust in management’s actions. They also expressed concern about the lack of epidemiological analysis.’
“I offered to convey these concerns to the North Carolina State University Office of General Counsel confidentially.”
According to the local media WRALNorth Carolina State University Chancellor Randy Woodson denied the CDC report, and a lawyer wrote: “At no time has NC State requested that NIOSH shut down any HHE (Health Hazard Assessment), and I “I reach out to respectfully request a retraction of any statement.” otherwise.’
Poe Hall was built in 1971, a time when PCBs were more commonly used in industrial products. PCBs were banned in 1979, although they still remain in older buildings.
Several North Carolina state employees and students contacted NCDHHS urging the agency to investigate.
“A comprehensive health assessment is necessary to ensure that students, staff and faculty who worked and learned at Poe know how to manage their own health,” a former graduate student with health problems wrote in an email to authorities. non-cancerous health.
NC State student Christie Lewis, who attended the university from 2007 to 2012, said she started having night sweats while taking classes at Poe Hall. “I couldn’t understand what was happening,” she said. Fox News Digital.
‘I had to get up in the middle of the night and change my clothes completely. And then I would fall asleep. And I had to leave a towel.
“Honestly, it took me weeks to even tell my husband about them because I kept forgetting because it was right in the middle of the night.”
Around 2011-2012, Ms. Lewis was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
Months later, he discovered a lump in his neck, which turned out to be an angosarcoma, a tumor found on the inner walls of blood and lymphatic vessels.
Although he initially thought it was just a circumstance, he became suspicious after reading reports about a possible link between Poe Hall and the cancer cases.
‘Maybe my body isn’t the problem. Maybe I was really exposed to something that caused this. “I don’t know, it definitely shook me up a little bit,” she said.
Jennifer Walter, who attended the university from 2004 to 2007, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2017, followed by synovial sarcoma, which primarily attacks tissues near large joints, such as the knees, in 2022.
‘There are such scary statistics that are related to sarcoma. It’s much more real,” she said. Fox News Digital.
‘They got it early, which I’m grateful for, but that fear never goes away. “It’s something I’m going to have every day for the rest of my life.”
Mrs Lewis said she feels “violated” because she thought she was “receiving a good education…in a safe place” before she was suddenly “put in unsafe conditions”.
She also fears she may have passed on PCB exposure to her children.
“It’s made me feel very nervous,” she said.
