Questions and Answers

We will share more information and next steps in the coming weeks with building occupants. If you have questions about your items in the meantime, please call 919-513-3358 or email ncstateemmc@ncsu.edu.

While the university is working to establish a timeline for expedited building renovations, we are also determining the space needs for the College of Education and Department of Psychology for the entire renovation period. This will be done collaboratively with representatives from the college and department. We will continue to share additional information and updates as they are available.

Since December of 2023, we’ve partnered with Geosyntec Consultants, an independent consulting firm with expertise in environmental building assessment in the public and private sectors, to accurately understand the building’s environment. Now, in June of 2024, we have a comprehensive understanding of the primary source of PCBs in the building as well as recommendations on next steps, which is essential to informing our remediation plans in consultation with the EPA.

Geosyntec’s report provides all testing data as well as a research brief on PCB exposure and possible health effects. We encourage you to read the report to better understand the evaluation process and testing results.

The university will consult with the EPA and NIOSH regarding testing conducted and the proposed remediation and renovation plans before taking action in the building.

In response to a question raised in August, the university initiated an internal environmental assessment of Poe Hall. Preliminary testing indicated that asbestos and heavy metals were within acceptable limits in the areas tested. Preliminary results from samples taken from selected areas of the building in October and November came back detecting PCBs. The preliminary findings were shared with university leadership, who, out of an abundance of caution, made a decision to close the building promptly. The building closed at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, and occupants were given until Wednesday, Nov. 22, to enter to collect belongings needed to finish the semester.

The internal assessment also included consultation with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). We’ve remained in contact with federal and state agencies.

Geosyntec Consultants provided its initial phase testing report to the university on Feb. 8 and it was shared with the community that same day. On Jun. 3, 2024, university leadership received the second testing report from Geosyntec and promptly shared it with the NC State community. For more information on our process and timeline, click here.

Since the building closed, we’ve worked diligently to understand its environment and the potential impacts of this situation including partnering with environmental experts to conduct testing in the building. During this time, we also continued our work inside the building to support North Campus’ main distribution frame, which provides wireless connectivity for all of North Campus. With Geosyntec’s second phase testing report, the university is now developing a plan for remediation and renovation of the building in consultation with the EPA.

Geosyntec has prepared a detailed analysis of potential human health effects associated with PCB exposure that  may provide some helpful insights into PCBs and health effects. You can read it here.

Geosyntec’s second phase testing report also shares more about the environment in Poe Hall. If you have questions about your personal health, please speak with your physician or, if you are a student, please reach out to Campus Health.

On Feb. 12, 2024, with the first phase of results from the building testing in hand, and with the guidance of our partners at NC DHHS, NC State again connected with representatives from NIOSH to request they open a new Health Hazard Evaluation related to Poe Hall.

NIOSH, a part of the Centers for Disease Control, is a federal governmental research agency “focused on the study of worker safety and health and empowering employers and workers to create safe and healthy workplaces.” Learn more about the agency here.

NIOSH performs workplace HHEs as requested. This federal agency’s HHE related to Poe Hall is conducted by the agency directly and is ongoing. To date, no agency has found evidence of any health issues that are connected with Poe Hall.

It’s our understanding that NIOSH does not comment on open HHEs. NC State will not comment substantively during the evaluation, either. The university will share any updates on the evaluation process as appropriate.

NC State is not formally collecting information on health conditions. The process of collecting information on health conditions is part of the work the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) may do through its Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE), which is currently underway.

The process of every HHE can vary, depending on the types of hazards reported and recommendations of the assigned health and safety experts. NC State will follow the guidance of NIOSH throughout this evaluative process. In the meantime, if you have questions about your personal health, please speak with your physician or, if you are a student, please reach out to Campus Health.

We recognize that this has been a long process of waiting for information about the environment in Poe Hall, and your patience and flexibility these past several months are greatly appreciated. Please take some time to read the report developed by Geosyntec to better understand the findings from our evaluation. We hope the report provides you with information to help you address any health concerns you may have in consultation with your medical provider.

If you have questions about evidence-based health screenings, please review the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force website for information about this topic. The task force website has a search function to help you find specific information.

Complying with discovery in litigation is one of many interests–including but not limited to conducting the investigation and providing information to EPA and NIOSH; finding space to relocate the offices, classrooms, and other spaces within Poe Hall; and, now, making plans for remediation–that the university is balancing since voluntarily closing the building last November. 

As NC State has made it clear in court filings, including the most recent petition and motion filed with the Supreme Court of North Carolina, we respect the right of litigants to pursue reasonable discovery in the correct forum and following the correct processes. In fact, there has been an inspection and limited sampling of the building conducted as part of discovery in pending litigation.

At this time, the university anticipates Poe Hall will remain closed through the end of 2024-2025 academic year. As the timeline for building remediation and renovation is finalized, the anticipated project milestones will be shared directly with those in the College of Education and the Department of Psychology. Remediation plans are being developed and will be shared with the Environmental Protection Agency.

We understand the transition out of Poe Hall was an abrupt one and many in our community are still working to settle into new spaces. NC State is committed to ensuring our students, faculty and staff have the space and resources needed to successfully work and learn on our campus. As we determine the remediation timeline and space needs for the College of Education and Department of Psychology for the entire renovation period, we will be collaborating with representatives from the college and department.

If you or your colleagues have specific needs for space and materials in the meantime, please reach out to your supervisor or connect directly with your college’s representative for business operations who can work to help find a solution for you.

As is the university’s established procedure, NC State assesses potential concerns in facilities as they are received to determine appropriate next steps. In fact, the testing conducted in Poe Hall was a result of employee concerns. Closing the building was a proactive step taken out of an abundance of caution. The building closure enabled the university and our environmental consultant to carefully investigate and better understand what the potential issues and health impacts are.

NC State Facilities and Environmental Health and Safety teams evaluate concerns that come in and also maintain protocols for evaluating building materials for hazardous materials as part of routine renovation and repair work. If there are maintenance needs or if individuals express concerns, our facilities and environmental health and safety teams will evaluate those.

NC State has released both testing reports as they were received to the NC State community and the public both through email messages and via the Poe Hall Updates website. The university has been and continues to be committed to maintaining transparency throughout this process. As updates are developed for the building’s remediation and renovation, we will continue to share information promptly and directly. 

NC State continues to respond to requests in compliance with the NC public records laws, N.C.G.S. Chapter 132.

Yes. The university will continue to share updates and additional information with the campus community to provide transparency, stability and support to our impacted community members.

The university continues to update the Poe Hall and broader NC State community regularly, and as new information becomes available through its updates website, social media and email messages.

PCBs are synthetic chemical compounds largely used throughout the 1950-1970s in construction materials across the U.S.; they were formally banned in 1979. There are more than 200 different commercial mixtures of PCB compounds called “Aroclors.” Our test, primarily detected levels of Aroclor 1262.

PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) are a group of synthetic chemicals. PCBs were widely used in building materials and electrical products primarily between 1950 and 1979. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned the manufacturing and certain uses of PCBs in 1979, but buildings constructed or renovated between 1950 and 1979 may still have building materials and electrical products that contain PCBs.

NC State Facilities and Environmental Health and Safety teams evaluate concerns that come in and also maintain protocols for evaluating building materials for hazardous materials as part of routine renovation and repair work, including materials that may contain PCBs. If there are maintenance needs or if individuals express concerns, our facilities and environmental health and safety teams will evaluate those.

The data collected by independent environmental consultant Geosyntec suggests that simple cleaning steps (i.e. wiping down the item’s exterior surface with a wet wipe to remove dust) can effectively mitigate exposure to PCBs that could be present on surface dust.

All NC State faculty and staff have access to the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program, with State Health Plan members also having access to mental health coverage and additional resources via the Behavioral Health Resource Center.

Students can utilize the NC State Counseling Center or their college’s embedded counselor, who is available in person or virtually.

Employees are always encouraged to take advantage of the resources available to them and to speak with their supervisors about using accrued leave time to support their well-being. Sick leave, vacation leave, community service and personal days of observance are all available depending on the need.

At this time, the university is not offering health testing or reimbursement for health testing related to Poe Hall.

If you or your colleagues have specific needs for space and materials for the upcoming semester, please reach out to your supervisor or connect directly with your college’s representative for business operations who can work to help find a solution for you. Below you can find more specific contact information for university departments.

• The NC State Facilities division continues to coordinate the relocation of administrative and research spaces for displaced Poe Hall occupants.
• Registration and Records has worked quickly to address all needed adjustments to course scheduling. Information was provided to students, faculty and staff as space was finalized for the spring 2024 semester. The same will be done for fall 2024.
• Emergency Management and Mission Continuity evaluated and fulfilled item requests from building occupants to ensure students, faculty and staff have the materials and tools needed to successfully start and complete the previous semester. The university will provide an update in the coming weeks regarding any additional items that remain in the building and how they will be cleaned and returned.
• The Office of Research and Innovation remains available to help faculty members with concerns regarding research continuity. The office can be reached at ncstate-research@ncsu.edu.
• NC State Transportation continues working with individuals who are affected by any relocation. If you have questions about your parking needs, please contact ncsu-transportation@ncsu.edu.
• If you have questions about your belongings or the services and resources available to you, please call 919-513-3358 or email ncstateemmc@ncsu.edu.