Updates and information for Poe Hall occupants

Good afternoon,

As our environmental consultants gather more information about Poe Hall, we remain committed to sharing the latest with you. We recognize that many of you still have questions and concerns related to the building, and we are working diligently to get answers. Today, we are sharing a few updates in response to some of the questions we’ve received.

As referenced in the initial phase testing report, we’ve asked the expert team at Geosyntec to share insights into the potential human health impacts associated with exposure to PCBs. Last week, the team provided a memo detailing environmental occurrences of PCBs, potential associated health effects and several references for additional information, which we’ve posted here. If you have concerns about your personal health, please speak with your physician. 

The university has also been working to respond to requests for public records related to Poe Hall. In particular, we received requests for recent evaluations of the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system and for results of any prior PCB testing in Poe Hall. Records responsive to these requests include a 2022 mechanical engineering consultant’s report focused on the HVAC system and a waterproofing project in 2018 that included testing for PCBs on the exterior of the building. The testing conducted in 2018 is standard practice when doing renovations on buildings of this age.  

More details regarding past evaluations of the building are as follows:

• An April 24, 2018, report from Matrix Health & Safety Consultants, LLC, regarding results of solid samples of window and panel caulk from the exterior of Poe Hall (as well as the exterior of D.H. Hill Jr. Library’s North Tower), indicated the presence of PCBs in the tested caulk, which is common on the exterior of buildings of a certain age. The scope of the renovation project included caulk replacement around windows and doors and around vertical/horizontal facades in both locations. 
• A March 2022 presentation was delivered to NC State facilities representatives by a mechanical engineering contractor, Salas O’Brien, who was retained to evaluate the HVAC system. This information was also presented to representatives from the College of Education that same month. The presentation reports on the existing condition of the HVAC system, options to address issues and what would be required to bring the Poe Hall HVAC system up to current day code requirements if renovations were to take place. The scope of this study involved a survey of the major engineering components of the HVAC and did not include testing for PCBs. 

NC State remains committed to transparency and accuracy as we work to understand Poe Hall’s environment so that we can determine the best path forward. All updates we have will continue to be shared with you directly, the previous occupants of Poe Hall, and via the Poe Hall Updates website. Thank you for your patience during this process and the care you continue to show one another.

Warwick Arden
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Charles Maimone
Executive Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration