North Carolina State University is suing Monsanto over toxic chemicals found at the university’s shuttered education and psychology building, Poe Hall.
Monsanto and the development of PCBs
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The lawsuit filed in Wake County Superior Court alleges Monsanto knowingly marketed and concealed the risks of toxic Polychlorinated Biphenyls known as PCBs. The chemicals were used in caulks, sealants, paints, adhesives, and HVAC duct sealants in Poe Hall. Over decades, these chemicals leached into the air, contaminating the building.
“Monsanto advised customers to integrate its PCB mixtures into construction materials,” the lawsuit stated. “Despite knowing that this would directly introduce PCBs into surrounding air and other building materials, and onto nearby interior surfaces. Monsanto issued no public warnings or instructions addressing these issues or the associated health risks with its PCB products and, in public communications, denied or concealed the existence of those hazards.”
On Wednesday, Monsanto provided WRAL's 5 On Your Side with the following statement.
“The Company believes these claims lack merit and will respond in court in due course, ” the statement reads. “Monsanto discontinued its production of bulk industrial PCBs nearly five decades ago, conducted hundreds of studies on PCB safety, and provided appropriate warnings to its sophisticated industrial customers based on the state-of-the science at the time.
“Furthermore, any PCB-containing building products used in Poe Hall or other buildings on campus were manufactured, sold and installed by sophisticated third-parties, and maintained by the University.”
Poe Hall shutdown and fallout
The chemicals are now considered a known carcinogen by the World Health Organization, but were commonly used in building materials until being banned in the late 1970s. Poe Hall was built in 1971. Thousands of students and workers passed through the building before it was shut down in November 2023.
Since then, a 5 On Your Side investigation has received complaints from more than 215 former NC State students and workers who say they developed cancer after working or studying in Poe Hall.
NC State alleges Monsanto failed to warn the university of the risks associated with PCBs, and is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars of dollars in damages associated with the fallout.
NC State says Monsanto should be responsible for legal claims
Last year, a group of attorneys announced they were planning to file lawsuits and workers' compensation claims against the university and Monsanto over the illnesses found in workers and students. Much of the ire over Poe Hall has centered over the university’s response to the contamination. Records obtained by WRAL 5 On Your Side show the university delayed meeting with the EPA over the contamination and shut down in 2023 and quietly ended a federal investigation into the health claims surrounding Poe Hall workers and students, the health investigation has since restated.
This lawsuit aims to shift responsibility onto Monsanto, and asks for hundreds of millions of dollars.
“Since I joined as chancellor in May, a vacant, contaminated instruction hall that has caused much concern and worry for many has been sitting idle and must be remediated. This lawsuit is about responsibility and accountability for the cleanup of this building so we can get our students back to learning,” said NC State University Chancellor Kevin Howell.
Related: Closed: Poe Hall
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