PCB-Free UNC: Test the Buildings Across our System Now!

Chair Wendy Floyd Murphy, Board of Governors of the University System of North Carolina

The image consists of an overlay of text on top of a photograph of a person wearing a t-shirt. The t-shirt features a line drawing of a building labeled "PCB Hall" with a red prohibition symbol over it. The background of the image shows part of a building, possibly on a campus. On the left side, large bold text is printed with a red and yellow background, stating: "FROM THE WOLFPACK TO EVERY CAMPUS IN THE SYSTEM: FREE UNC FROM PCBS." Near the bottom right corner, smaller text reads: "Campus Community Alliance FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE."

UNC system students, staff, faculty and alumni deserve a safe place to learn, work, research and lead. Since the closure of Poe Hall at NC State University in 2023, the dangers of PCBs have never been more clear. Every building in our system must be tested until we have a PCB-Free UNC! We are demanding that the Board of Governors of the UNC System ensures our world class campuses are leaders in every way: we need comprehensive testing across the entire system to make sure our campus communities are safe from harmful PCBs.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are human-made “forever chemicals” that were commonly used in building materials and electrical equipment until production was banned by the federal Toxic Substances Control Act in 1979. PCBs can be released from these materials into the air, water, and soil, which can then cause complications for people exposed to these highly toxic chemicals. The known health effects of PCBs include: cancers, skin conditions, liver and kidney damage, autoimmune and thyroid diseases, negative impacts to fertility and pregnancy, and other life-altering and potentially fatal illnesses. Especially from 1945 - 1979, the use of these toxic chemicals was routine and PCB materials remain prevalent in many of the buildings that are still in use today

NC State has more than 70 buildings built prior to the 1979 PCB ban, including Poe Hall. After years of employee complaints, a whistleblower raised concerns about environmental contaminants in the education and psychology building to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in August 2023. Poe Hall was closed in November 2023 when NC State administrators finally conducted limited bulk sampling that revealed the presence of toxic levels of PCBs in the building. As of June 2025, more than 600 NC State faculty, staff and alumni who were inside Poe Hall have been diagnosed with PCB-related illnesses. To date approximately 60 are confirmed dead including NC State professors and alumni. NC State University has yet to contact any of the alumni, students, faculty, or staff who were exposed to PCBs. Since Poe Hall was closed, at least four UNC System campuses (UNCA, UNCC, NC A&T, and UNCP) have conducted proactive PCB testing campaigns on their campuses, yet NC State and other campuses have not followed this reasonable course of action to ensure the health and safety for their students, staff, and faculty.

To: Chair Wendy Floyd Murphy, Board of Governors of the University System of North Carolina
From: [Your Name]

We, the undersigned, demand that the University of North Carolina System immediately establish a PCB testing, notification, and mitigation protocol for all campuses across the state.

We demand comprehensive PCB testing of all UNC System campus buildings constructed or renovated before 1980. Indoor air sampling and wipe tests should be conducted by an independent environmental consultant in at least one third of all classrooms, offices and public spaces in each building. All sampling must be conducted with “in use” building conditions (standard heating, cooling, air circulation, lighting, and other conditions relevant to a specific building).

We demand transparency and notification for all UNC System students, staff, faculty and alumni regarding buildings with known PCBs. Public posting of all testing results is required. Direct notification, through email, mail, text, and phone call, should be made if the air or surface PCB level of at least one room or space in a building is at or above 100 nanograms per cubic meter. The UNC System and the individual University must make direct contact with alumni, students, faculty and staff to notify them they may have been exposed to PCBs.

We demand immediate measures to lessen and eliminate people’s exposure to PCBs on UNC System campuses. Within six weeks of the discovery of PCB materials and/or an actionable air PCB level (at or above 100 nanograms per cubic meters in one or more classrooms, offices, or public spaces rooms or spaces), the UNC System must identify and address the source of the PCBs and develop a strategy to eliminate PCB exposure to people, which includes implementing safe alternatives for people to continue their work, classes and research even if a building must be closed for abatement. In addition to providing public notice of all the aforementioned measures, the UNC System or University must also provide notice to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Regional PCB coordinator for the state of North Carolina.

Citations:

Lieberman, Mark. “What to Know About PCBs in Schools: A Visual Primer.” Education Week, October 27, 2022, sec. Leadership, School & District Management. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-to-know-about-pcbs-in-schools-a-visual-primer/2022/10.

“Our Publications and Data | Iowa Superfund Research Program - College of Engineering | The University of Iowa.” Accessed July 6, 2025. https://iowasuperfund.uiowa.edu/our-publications-and-data.

“PCBs in Schools | Department of Environmental Conservation.” Accessed July 6, 2025. https://dec.vermont.gov/waste-management/contaminated-sites/PCBsinSchools.

Strong, Pritchard, and WRAL consumer producer. “The Evolving Approach to PCBs at UNC System Schools.” WRAL.com, December 20, 2024. https://www.wral.com/consumer/5onyourside/testing-pcbs-at-unc-system-schools-december-2024/.