Over 150 cancer cases are reportedly connected to a building inside the campus of a North Carolina university, Mirror US reported Monday.
A health crisis has emerged at North Carolina State University, linking over 150 cancer cases to a former campus building, Poe Hall. The building was sealed off last November after allegedly discovering polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations, a known potential carcinogen, far exceeding safe limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to Mirror US. This action followed findings of PCB levels in five rooms surpassing EPA standards by 38 times.
The former students are reportedly dealing with cancer and now speaking up because they think their sickness might be related to their time in Poe Hall. Christie Lewis, a student at NC State between 2007 and 2012, told Fox News about her severe health problems.
“I was finishing up my finals, and I was going in for a physical at the health center … I was having night sweats for weeks and weeks before this, and I could not figure out what was happening,” NC State alumna Lewis told Fox News Digital. “I was having to get up in the middle of night and change clothes completely. And then I would fall asleep. And I had to put a towel down. It honestly took me weeks to even tell my husband about them because I kept on forgetting about it because it was just in the middle of the night.”
NC State alumni report 150+ cancer cases possibly stemming from contaminants in shut-down campus building
By Audrey Conklin Fox News“North Carolina State University in Raleigh continues to investigate student and alumni exposure to concerning levels of polychlorinated… pic.twitter.com/Dsg1S3xffC
— Moderat_Conserv, Blue cities are Sad cities (@Moderat_Conserv) April 1, 2024
In response to the growing outcry, NC State has launched an investigation into the contamination, establishing a webpage to keep the community informed on their findings and actions. Chancellor Randy Woodson reaffirmed the university’s commitment to safety. “The university remains committed to doing the right things to ensure this is a safe place to work, learn and live,” Woodson said, Mirror US stated.
The investigation into Poe Hall started with a complaint to North Carolina’s safety division in Aug. 2023, Mirror US reported. This led to tests and a first report about the building’s environmental conditions. During an online talk, experts Dr. Zack Moore and Dr. Andy Olshan explained the difficulties in identifying cancer clusters because of issues with available data and meeting Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) standards. (RELATED: Severe ‘Flesh-Eating’ Infections Increasing Across Parts Of America, CDC Warns)
The North Carolina Health Department hasn’t confirmed whether the cancer cases form a cluster according to CDC rules. The possible connection between these cancer cases and PCB levels in the building is still being looked into, with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) participating, according to Mirror US.
The Daily Caller has reached out to the North Carolina State University for comments but has yet to receive a response.