A press conference addressing the recently-filed lawsuit alleging NC State failed to prevent cancer cases and deaths linked to polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure in Poe Hall was held Thursday morning.

Organized by plaintiffs’ attorneys, the conference demanded accountability from the University, UNC Board of Governors and the state of North Carolina.

‘Poisoned’ without consent

Sandra Alford, a 66-year-old woman who received her master’s in adult and lifelong education from NC State in 1992 and was assistant director of employee and organizational learning at the University from 2001-2003, spoke about a series of unexplained symptoms and illnesses she experienced while studying and working in Poe Hall.

During her first semester, Alford developed what she described as a painful “very odd skin rash” that started in her throat, spreading through her neck and into her face within a week. Her doctor diagnosed her with severe eczema, and she was prescribed steroids to treat inflammation. 

By the next semester, she was experiencing trouble breathing, despite never smoking. Over the following years, she had a number of respiratory infections, including bronchitis and pneumonia. Alford assumed her health problems and symptoms — which included headaches, vertigo, fatigue and arrhythmia — were related to academic and career pressures.

In 2018, upon having difficulty swallowing, Alford discovered she had two nodules in her lymph nodes that were, at the time, non-cancerous. On Nov. 18, 2021, she received news that she had breast cancer. 

Following a surgery, she was informed that her breast cancer was stage 2, having spread to her lymph nodes. More recently, this past Christmas Eve, she learned she had a pancreatic tumor.

“As a grad student at NCSU, I unknowingly inhaled and touched PCBs in Poe Hall for approximately four years,” Alford said. “Without my consent, I was poisoned by PCBs at extremely high levels.”

Sarah Glad, who died Jan. 19, 2024, is represented in the case by her husband, Robert Glad, who is a plaintiff. They married in 2017 and were expecting their first child by Jan. 2022. Two months after learning about their son, Sarah was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer, which eventually spread to her brain and spine.

“She battled for 674 days, and in that time, now being a mom, she went through 46 chemo treatments and 34 radiation treatments,” Glad said.

NC State didn’t publicly acknowledge the presence of PCBs in Poe Hall’s construction materials until testing in 2023 prompted administration to shut down the building, a year after Sarah’s diagnosis.

The lawsuit states that comprehensive PCB testing of Poe Hall should have begun much earlier, citing complaints from occupants over several years. 

“For at least three decades, teachers and students in Poe Hall repeatedly complained to NCSU about the poor air quality in the building; air with dust and oily black particles blew out of duct vents and covered surfaces throughout the building. Unbeknownst to these teachers and students, this dust and particles contained PCBs,” the filing said.

Sarah’s diagnosis prompted her to receive testing for genetic predispositions to breast cancer, which came back negative.

“If we would have been aware that she was exposed [to PCBs], we would have been proactive and getting tested more regularly,” Glad said. “At that time, we had no idea about Poe Hall.”

Legal precedent and basis

The lawsuit accusing NC State of violating plaintiffs’ state constitutional rights draws on precedent established in two particular North Carolina Supreme Court cases: Corum v. Univ. of North Carolina (1992) and Happel v. Guilford County Board of Education (2024).

David Kirby, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs, explained how the decision in Corum established the point of violation for a citizen of North Carolina: “that individual has a direct right of action, they have the ability to seek redress against the government for that wrong, violation of a constitutional right.”

Though initially dealing with the First Amendment, Kirby explained that Corum has since expanded to include health rights in cases such as Happel. The decision in Happel stated that individuals have the right to bodily integrity, and the filing states that violations of this right are constitutional by nature.

“The basis of these cases that have been brought to NC State all center on the constitutional rights of these students, the faculty and other people that were in this building who, over the span of 30 years, were exposed to toxic chemicals,” Kirby said. “They didn’t know they were being exposed to toxic chemicals. They obviously didn’t consent to being exposed to toxic chemicals.”

Bryan Brice, an environmental attorney on the case, explained that law firms handling the action have over 600 clients, 100 of whom are breast cancer patients. He stated the first filing represents only a few of their clients. 

“I just need to start by saying that in my 30 years of environmental practice, the environmental catastrophe that has occurred in Poe Hall is the worst I’ve seen of a city building causing human health effects,” Brice said.

Brice highlighted the persistence of PCBs in the environment and their tendency to accumulate in fatty tissues, such as a woman’s breast tissue. 

“These folks are brave to have contacted us and to tell this story, to allow us to file this complaint on their behalf,” Brice said. “… Courage is not the absence of fear, it’s the ability to face it and walk through it. All of these women have exhibited that courage, and that’s why we’re here today, to try to help them tell their story.”

“What does ‘justice’ look like?”

Lawyers and plaintiffs alike demanded accountability throughout the conference, emphasizing the importance of taking action to protect students, staff and faculty from additional harm, which is a primary goal of the litigation. 

Patrick Wallace, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, was among the individuals seeking visibility by assessing how the university has handled Poe Hall. 

“We’ve already heard NC State’s story. Their story begins with there being no problems at all inside of Poe Hall,” Wallace said. “…when people came forward with stories of cancer, they shut down the building and said, even then, ‘it’s not an issue.’ The next thing we heard from NC State was that the building is so toxic that they had to sue another party and talk about how it needs to be torn down and rebuilt. And yet, throughout all this time, we’re not hearing from them that they’re taking responsibility for what they did.”

Ben Whitley, another attorney, said a lawsuit of this nature has not previously been filed because the plaintiffs and their lawyers hoped NC State would “do the right thing” and take accountability independently. 

“This ultimate trial is going to be about accountability, transparency and the health and safety not only of our class that were affected by these toxic chemicals but an awareness for all North Carolinians about the dangers of these PCBs in buildings that are still in our university system,” Whitley said.

Kirby echoed this perspective, encouraging NC State and the UNC Board of Governors to take meaningful action, such as routine testing.

“The question for the broader university system, and for NC State specifically, is what are you doing to reassure parents and other people across this state who go to these public universities? What are you doing to make sure that these [older] buildings are safe for these kids?” Kirby said.

Alford described the battle this litigation represents as “bigger than cancer” and NC State itself. Following her diagnosis, Alford turned to community engagement and activism in order to educate others about Poe Hall.

“I’ve searched obituaries of former classmates and former colleagues. I’ve worked with funeral directors to find and contact living family members so that families could be informed about Poe. I’ve met one-on-one with 73 alumni, some daughters of deceased faculty members, widows of deceased alumni, current students, mothers and fathers of current students, to let them know what’s going on. And only just to help spread the word of what’s inside Poe. And if you are in there, your health is at risk,” Alford said.

Glad said preventing future cases like his wife’s is imperative and achievable through accountability.

“I don’t want to see other people go through this. I don’t want to see a friend who loses his wife at 35 years old raising a child on his own,” Glad said. “I mean, I’m blessed to have my little boy because he’s got my wife’s dimples, so I see a piece of her everyday, right? … But I wouldn’t wish the last four years on anybody.”

Kirby was the final speaker before the press conference concluded, underscoring the role of the legal counsel in seeking accountability for those harmed.

“You cannot replace a Sarah Glad, you can’t replace a person’s health, you can’t turn the clock back, but you do what you can to honor these people,” Kirby said.