5 On Your Side confirms 40 cancer cases connected to NC State building

A letter exclusively given to WRAL indicates North Carolina State University asked a federal agency to stop investigating potentially high rates of cancer at a campus building.

The decision ignores the pleas of NC State employees and former students battling cancer. In November, NC State closed Poe Hall after testing revealed high levels of PCBs in a women’s bathroom, a door gasket, the air handler and more. The toxic chemicals, once used in manufacturing, are now linked to cancer.

Five On Your Side spent 11 weeks investigating Poe Hall and has independently confirmed 40 cases of cancer in people who spent time at Poe Hall, including several deaths.

When NC State closed Poe Hall, former grad student Sarah Glad contacted 5 On Your Side. Glad earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at NC State and spent years in Poe Hall. By the time she contacted WRAL News, Glad had stage 4 breast cancer. Glad agreed to an interview that would never happen. She died in January, but not before fulfilling her dream of becoming a mother. She delivered a healthy baby boy in August 2022, as her cancer spread.

“I don’t care about money. I don’t care about compensation. I do care about being able to help other people,” said Robbie Glad, Sarah’s husband, who is now advocating for more transparency from the university.

Of the 40 cases of cancer 5 On Your Side confirmed, more than a dozen are breast cancer.

“If they understood what these women have gone through, what their families have gone through, they could at least act like they care,” said a current NC State employee who did not want to be named, for fear of job retaliation.

NOVEMBER 2023

Toxic chemicals close NC State's Poe Hall for the semester

'A culture of bad things handled in bad ways': NC State employees question Poe Hall handling

'A disaster': Faculty, staff members seek answers after NC State closes Poe Hall

DECEMBER 2023

Only on WRAL: Documents show PCB levels in NC State's Poe Hall

JANUARY 2023

NC State begins cleaning, removal of certain items from Poe Hall

Poe Hall classes rescheduled elsewhere for spring semester

Last November, 5 On Your Side uncovered a survey an NC State employee sent to cancer victims to fill out before it closed Poe Hall. 5 On Your Side confirmed NC State used the information to request a Health Hazard Evaluation, a free federal investigation conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety, NIOSH, which is a part of the CDC. A free Health Hazard Evaluations can collect samples, conduct medical exams and review reports of illness at work sites.

“It felt like they actually cared,” said the anonymous NC State employee.

But when 5 On Your Side followed up with the CDC two months later they were told, “NCSU’s general counsel withdrew the request in January 2024.” They added that the agency “does not have the authority to proceed with its evaluation without the cooperation of NCSU.”

A spokesperson with the CDC says NC State halted the free inspection they asked for, instead hiring a consulting firm to study the building.

NC State refutes that claim.

A spokesperson with NC State says it was not their decision to stop the evaluation but NIOSH’s.

Regardless, the fact remains: There is no formal investigation into the dozens of cases of cancer at Poe Hall underway.

A perplexing decision, says Dr. David Carpenter, the director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the State University of New York at Albany.

“I think when you have documentation of PCBs you really have to do a health assessment and evaluation,” Carpenter said.

Since Nov. 17, the day NC State closed Poe Hall, 5 On Your Side has poured through thousands of official documents, sent 736 emails containing the phrase ‘Poe Hall,’ and placed more than 500 texts and phone calls. 5 On Your Side also filed 10 open records requests on the topic. The university has only fulfilled four.

However, NC State did release its preliminary PCB testing results. It revealed concentrations of PCBs in Poe Hall were 38 times higher than what the EPA deems unsafe for humans.

“Those are extraordinary levels,” Carpenter said.

Many of the people who spent time at Poe Hall and have a cancer diagnosis say the university has failed to give them any guidance or sympathy. Many claim their messages to the university have gone unanswered.

When asked what they would say if they could talk to the university, one person who wished to remain anonymous offered this:

“Do right by your employees and get an independent investigation, that’s all we are asking for.”

NC State said it was not their decision to withdraw from the federal health investigation, calling our reports false. For the sake of transparency, we have acquired the statement from the CDC saying NC State’s general counsel withdrew the request for the investigation in January, as well as a letter from a federal doctor saying the same.

If you have a complaint about Poe Hall and NC State, please contact 5 On Your Side.