During the first week of Fall 2024 semester classes, Campus Community Alliance for Environmental Justice members turned out across campus to distribute flyers, meet students, and talk about Poe Hall and the state of our toxic campus. We had lots of conversations, and as often happens with the best ones, we all asked a lot of questions. Let’s recap some of them here.

Q: Is it safe for me to be in D.H. Hill, Jr. Library or other buildings constructed in the same time period as Poe Hall?

A: The same report that identified PCBs in Poe back in 2018 also identified them in the caulking of D.H. Hill Jr. Library’s North Tower, which remains open to this day. Listen, we don’t want to freak you out, but the truth is, we just don’t know enough about the status of PCBs in any of our campus buildings. Building users had been issuing complaints and asking for environmental testing in Poe Hall for decades before the University actually closed the building. There are at least 70 buildings on NC State’s campus that were constructed or renovated before the 1979 PCB ban, meaning that many of them might contain the same toxic building materials that caused illnesses for 500+ Poe Hall building users. That’s why we are demanding immediate testing of all campus buildings, including dormitories.

Wait, is a large scale PCB testing project even possible for schools?

Yes! In 2021, the Vermont State legislature passed legislation requiring all schools (public and independent) built or renovated before 1980 to conduct PCB testing and mitigate the risk if levels are found at or above the designated school action level. Vermont schools are currently two years into a five-year statewide testing campaign. As reported by former NC State student and Technician editor Emily Vespa, a similar program is already happening within our UNC System. North Carolina A&T University started testing all its campus buildings for PCBs back in March. Chancellor Woodson, your move. 

Q: I hadn’t heard about PCBs before Poe Hall closed. What are they even?

A: Polychlorinated biphenyls, often referred to simply as PCBs, are chemical mixtures that are no longer manufactured in the United States after they were banned by the 1979 Toxic Substances Control Act. Even though they are no longer manufactured, PCBs are still present in commercial products and materials, especially in building materials like the ones used in Poe Hall. PCBs can be released from these building materials into the environment, including air and water, causing health complications for the people who are then exposed to these highly toxic chemicals. Known health effects of PCBs include: skin conditions, liver damage, cancers, autoimmune and thyroid diseases, and other life-altering illnesses. As of August 2024, over 500 NC State faculty, staff and alumni who frequented Poe Hall have come forward to report these illnesses.  21 known members of NC State’s campus community who studied or worked in Poe, are dead.

Q: What can I do about any of this?

A: You can join the hundreds of other people who are already taking action. Together we can speak up and force the NC State administration to do the right thing. Sign our petition which demands that the University:

• contact everyone who may have been exposed to PCBs in Poe Hall since the building was constructed in 1971;

• compensates these individuals for relevant short and long term health screenings; commissions and publicly posts an independent review of the faulty Geosyntec report;

• establishes an independently run environmental reporting system for the campus;

• tests all campus buildings, including dormitories, for environmental contaminants;

• and keeps Poe Hall closed until independently proven safe for all building users.

Once you have signed, personally share (via text, phone call, email or direct message) the petition with five other people.

Keep in touch

Have you been affected by the toxic conditions in Poe Hall or other campus buildings? Do you want to join us in taking care of our campus community? Follow the Campus Community Alliance for Environmental Justice on Instagram or email us at [email protected]. 

Ready to volunteer right now? Submit your CCAEJ Member interest form