North Carolina State University has announced that its College of Education and Department of Psychology building — Poe Hall — is closing for the rest of the year.
Last year, the building tested positive for PCBs, toxic chemicals that have been linked to cancer and are a possible carcinogen for humans. Poe Hall shut down in November and remained closed for the rest of the fall semester.
In early March, the building will be tested again, according to a message from Chancellor Randy Woodson.
“This timing allows work currently underway in the building to be completed before we turn on the heating, air and ventilation system for the next phase of testing,” Woodson said. “As shared previously, this work takes time. This next phase of testing, analysis and reporting could take months.”
In contrast to the initial test, the second air sampling will be conducted while Poe Hall’s HVAC system is turned on.
The university said this is to “understand potential impacts during the building’s typical operations.” The air sampling will be conducted by the same company as before, Geosyntec Consultants.
To date, over 230 classes for more than 4,000 students have been relocated from the building. More than 400 faculty, staff and graduate students who used to work in Poe Hall have also been relocated, according to the university’s website.
