Questions and Answers

In December 2023, we 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. As of June 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 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.

Renovating and modernizing Poe Hall will take time. We intend for the College of Education to remain in the Center for Technology and Innovation while renovations take place. For the latest locations of services provided by the College of Education click here.

Lampe Hall serves as the Main Campus location for the various needs of the College of Education and the CHASS psychology department, including classroom, office and lab space, faculty and staff workspaces and storage space. Due to the size and needs of the Department of Psychology, the third and fourth floors of 111 Lampe Drive will become the new, permanent home for the department after renovations take place. 

Please check MyPack Portal for course locations. If you have any questions or concerns about continuity plans or office locations for the upcoming semester, please connect with your course instructor or supervisor.

At this time, the university anticipates Poe Hall will remain closed for at least three years as it remediates and remodels the building. As the timeline is finalized, the anticipated project milestones will be shared directly with building occupants.

The university has established both a Lampe Building Committee and a Poe Hall Building Visioning Committee. These committees are made up of faculty, students and staff who will have an integral role in the successful renovation of permanent spaces for their department and college respectively. As the committees begin their work, colleagues and students can expect updates from their college or department.

Yes, as updates are available on our progress, the university will share them. Please keep in mind that this process will take time and there may be significant gaps in time between updates.

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. Free telehealth therapy is also available to all degree-seeking students.

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.

On Monday, Apr. 21, 2025, the Health Hazard Evenmaultion (HHE) related to Poe Hall was closed by NIOSH due to federal reduction in force. The news was emailed directly to previous building occupants.

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.

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 and the environment in Poe Hall.

Geosyntec also 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 the memo here. We hope the report and analysis provide 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.

If you have questions about your personal health, please speak with your physician or, if you’re a student, make an appointment at Campus Health.

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 them.

If you have concerns or questions about a space you frequent on campus, please report the hazard through our Ask EHS process.

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 we have reason to believe a building is unsafe or in need of repair, we will take action to protect the safety of our community.