Toxic chemicals close NC State's Poe Hall for the semester
Poe Hall, an academic building at North Carolina State University, will close Friday after toxic chemicals were found inside the building.
In October, testing at the seven-story concrete building unveiled the presence of harmful environmental contaminants (PCBs), according to an email sent to students, staff and faculty. WRAL News is working to find out why the building was tested and what, if any, recommendations will be made for people who worked or studied at Poe Hall.
Access to Poe Hall at 2310 Katharine Stinson Drive will be limited after 5 p.m. on Friday, when the building's heating, cooling and ventilation systems will be switched off. Classes normally held in the building will be held virtually or in alternative locations for the rest of the semester.
WRAL News was there Friday as faculty and staff moved boxes of personal items out of the building. Some have worked inside Poe Hall for decades.
"There's a little bit of concern [among staff] ... but what we've been communicated is that the HVAC system just needs to be overhauled," said academic adviser Samanta Worrell. "It's an old building."
Many faculty and staff members told WRAL News they were hesitant to speak on camera because they were worried about retribution.
Another Poe Hall employee believes the PCBs were found in the duct work.
Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, are cancer-causing chemicals that do not break down easily and can be found in the air, water and soil. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports PCB-containing building materials were used in schools and other buildings constructed or renovated between about 1950 and 1979.
Poe Hall was built in 1971.
The building will remain accessible to employees with card access until Wednesday, Nov. 22, at 5 p.m. before it is shuttered. People who need to access the building after Nov. 22 were asked to call 919-513-3358 or email ncstatemmc@ncsu.edu.
Further testing will be done on the building's air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems, according to the university. It is not clear when the building will reopen.
A statement from the university read:
"Closing the building is a voluntary step and obviously challenging for our affected colleges. By moving to remote and alternate formats quickly, we hope to minimize impact on students and faculty as we approach the exam period ... The preliminary testing results provide a starting point, and the university is committed to taking any step necessary to fully understand environmental conditions in Poe."
PCBs were also used as coolants and lubricants in electrical equipment until 1977, when the U.S. banned their production. Federal regulators cited evidence that PCBs build up in the environment and can cause health problems from rashes to liver ailments.
A spokesperson with the state Department of Health and Human Services explained products made before 1977 that may contain PCBs include old fluorescent lighting fixtures and electrical devices along with old microscope and hydraulic oils.
People exposed to PCBs in the workplace may experience irritation of the nose and lungs, gastrointestinal discomfort, changes in the blood and liver and depression and fatigue, according to the state.
In 2008 PCBs were found in two Raleigh waterways, posing a health hazard to people who eat fish caught in them.
In Warren County decades earlier, PCB-contaminated soil was dumped in a local landfill. Ward Transformer Co. had used PCBs in its transformers, and workers with the Raleigh-based company sprayed PCB-laced oil along hundreds of miles of state roads.
Local protests claiming environmental racism eventually prompted the state to spend $18 million to clean the landfill.
A spokesperson from North Carolina's Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Division confirmed the agency received a complaint in September alleging possible exposure to asbestos due to renovations at Poe Hall. The complaint was resolved with a written response, according to the state Department of Labor.
