NC State ordered to allow independent testing inside Poe Hall

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- NC State University has been ordered to allow an independent investigation into contaminants Poe Hall.

The building has been shut down since November after PCBs were discovered. Those chemicals have been linked to increased risk of diseases, such as cancer.

A former student and graduate assistant, who has terminal cancer, is suing the school.

He believes, according to the legal filing, "environmental contamination may have been destroyed or altered" by the university.

In light of this legal filing, a Wake County judge ruled in favor of allowing independent testing at the building.

NC State has been doing its own testing and another round got underway in March.

This past Friday, NC State put out an update on its website that, "Our team reactivated the building's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system for the first time since it was turned off last November. This allows our environmental consultants to conduct additional testing with the system."

The school said it expects test results in the next several weeks.

As far as the court's ruling, a spokesperson said "The university does not comment on matters of open litigation."

ABC11 spoke with a University employee, who's been dealing with some health problems and is curious about the cause.

"(I'm) just praying to the lord all the time it don't get any worse," he said.

He is battling blood cancer. The employee spent years working inside Poe Hall.

"Something needs to be done," he said.

He told ABC11 that he supports an independent review and is concentrating on his health.

"I ain't saying it's gone, but the treatment is helping me," he said. "It (the cancer) hasn't spread."

His cancer has not yet been linked to any specific cause.

Poe Hall is going to be closed through at least the end of the year.