A letter given exclusively to WRAL News revealed that federal officials will investigate a potential cancer cluster among workers at a once-busy North Carolina State University building—Poe Hall.
"We are taking action to understand the occurrence of cancer among North Carolina State University employees who worked in the building," wrote Jessica Rinsky, an epidemiologist for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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Rinsky asked the state of North Carolina to cross-reference Poe Hall employees with the state’s cancer registry and provide local cancer data to determine if an excess of "specific cancer types" occurred among workers in Poe Hall.
The move marks a new step in the federal government's ongoing investigation into the safety of workers at Poe Hall – now taking a focused look at cancer rates and diagnoses potentially linked to the building.
The update from the federal government was welcomed by current and former employees, as well as students and alumni, who have pushed for answers about the illnesses potentially connected to Poe Hall ever since the university abruptly shut down the building last year.
The lead up: Workers' complaints about Poe Hall prompt building testing
In October 2023, N.C. State tested Poe Hall for PCB chemicals at the behest of sick workers. The chemicals, now linked to certain types of cancer, were commonly used in construction during the mid-20th century when Poe Hall was built. And some workers suspected the chemicals were still inside Poe Hall.
While the manufacturing of PCBs was outlawed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1979, the chemicals remain present in many buildings today – unless actively removed.
"I always wondered if the building gave me cancer," said Kate Norwalk, a former associate professor who spent seven years at Poe Hall.
During her fourth year working in the building in 2020, Norwalk was diagnosed with breast cancer. By then, dozens of women who had spent time in Poe Hall told WRAL News they had also developed breast cancer.
"We know people get cancer in large numbers, but we aren’t talking about N.C. State as a whole—we’re talking about this one building," said Tremaine Brittian, a former Poe Hall worker and student who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015.
The closure: NC State shuts down Poe Hall after detecting high levels of PCBs
In November 2023, just weeks after testing the building, the university closed Poe Hall, citing an "abundance of caution." PCBs were found on several floors of the seven-story building.
On one office windowsill, the levels were nearly 40 times higher than what the EPA deems unsafe for humans. The university’s HVAC system was later identified as the likely source.
"Those are extraordinary levels," said Dr. David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the State University of New York at Albany, who reviewed the results.
By December 2023, N.C. State had hired a consulting firm to investigate the building further, eventually paying out more than $490,000. But an investigation, specifically into the health of workers and students, lagged.
When Poe Hall workers and students tried to report their cancer diagnoses to the university and state health officials, they were told that the school and state health agencies were not collecting such information.
The fight: Workers and students push NC State for more information
In February, WRAL reported that the university had quietly withdrawn from a federal investigation into potential health hazards at Poe Hall. The investigation, called a Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE), was set to determine whether workers had been harmed on the job. Without the university’s cooperation, the investigation could not move forward.
The move sparked widespread outrage—faculty members in the College of Education passed votes of no confidence against top university leadership, while students launched a petition demanding greater transparency.
Within a week of WRAL’s report, the HHE was back on. But months passed before investigators began requesting information related to cancer rates in the building.
As a matter of policy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not comment on active health investigations; N.C. State could, but has remained quiet on the topic. It was recently announced that the HHE would be completed during the fall semester.
This concerned sick workers, who told WRAL News they had never been contacted by the university, state or CDC about their cancer.
Because the university and state did not collect reports of cancer in workers or students who spent time in Poe Hall, WRAL started tracking cases, including time spent in Poe Hall and the types of cancer reported.
As of October, 215 people have reported developing cancer after spending time in Poe Hall – with most cases reported as having developed in the past 15 years.
WRAL compared local cancer rates and found that, in 2022, the rate of breast cancer among Poe Hall workers and graduate students was three times higher than the county average. This summer, WRAL presented that information to the CDC and asked if it planned on investigating a potential cancer cluster.
The investigation: Federal government indicates it will look into potential cancer cluster at Poe Hall
Although the HHE can investigate potential cancer clusters, it doesn’t always do so. For months, it was unclear if the federal government would investigate cancer rates at Poe Hall. Rinsky’s letter provided clarity on the matter.
According to the U.S. Department of Health epidemiologist, investigators will follow CDC guidelines for examining unusual patterns of cancer and environmental concerns, which outlines how to investigate "clusters." While the guidelines are not typically used for workers, Rinsky’s letter indicated that investigators will adapt those protocols, specifically to investigate workers.
The letter listed out several questions investigators will aim to answer:
- Have employees experienced more of a specific type or related types of cancer than expected?
- Have employees experience an unusual distribution of a specific type or related types of cancer?
- Has enough time passed since a potential exposure began for excess cancer rates or an unusual pattern of cancer to be observed among employees?
The current investigation does not include students or alumni, who make up a large portion of the reported cases.
"Which is ridiculous," Norwalk said. "They deserve an investigation, too."
The health investigation typically takes 6 to 12 months to complete. The investigation began in February, and N.C. State said it would be wrapped up by the middle of the fall 2024 semester – but it's unclear if this newly requested information will add more time to the process.