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Work to demolish Poe Hall is underway at NC State University, marking an important milestone in a years-long saga of sickness, lawsuits and suffering.
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But the story may not be over.
Last week, complaints of unsafe working conditions at the building known for its high concentration of harmful chemicals caught the attention of the North Carolina Department of Labor.
On Aug. 21, the Labor Department sent letters to companies working on Poe Hall, notifying each of allegations it received about unsafe working conditions on campus. The letters, obtained by The News & Observer, ask each company to investigate the allegations and report any action taken within seven business days.
Poe Hall, a building that once housed NC State’s education department, was constructed with harmful chemicals called polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. A group of former occupants say those toxic compounds gave them cancer, and in some cases, the illness resulted in death. In March, a federal investigation found high levels of both chemicals and certain kinds of cancer, but couldn’t definitively link the two. The building was shut down in 2023.
The state’s new budget, passed by the General Assembly a year late, provides $185 million to NC State for the demolition and eventual reconstruction of the building. The school received approval for the project from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
At least two companies are working on this phase of the demolition: Lineberger’s Tree Service and D.H. Griffin, which has two separate divisions working on Poe Hall. One is D.H. Griffin Wrecking Company and the other is Demolition and Asbestos Removal Inc.
The Department of Labor notified all three entities of alleged workplace hazards at Poe Hall. Workers could be handling materials from the building that harbor concentrations of PCBs that exceed EPA safety limits.
NC State’s own 2025 lawsuit against Monsanto, the company that manufactured the PCBs in Poe Hall, cites high concentrations of PCBs in the building’s air, paint, caulk and HVAC system, as well as in the soil surrounding the building — and says the chemicals can cause cancer, depending on the level and duration of exposure.
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Workers for Demolition and Asbestos Removal and D.H. Griffin Wrecking Company were seen throwing debris from inside the building into dumpsters without protection for their breathing, eyes or skin, according to the complaint forms. The dumpsters, in turn, were not covered to shut in the potentially contaminated materials, the complaint forms allege.
D.H. Griffin employees were also seen working on the fourth floor of Poe Hall without protective breathing gear, according to the complaint forms. They also say employees for Lineberger’s Tree Service were seen cutting down trees and operating a leaf blower without face masks.
“Workers were not aware that PCBs were on the exterior of the building and there is concern that subcontractors have not been told of the dangers while working on the exterior of the building,” reads the complaint form attached to the Department of Labor’s letter to Lineberger’s Tree Service.
The three complaints to the Department of Labor came from one individual who is granted anonymity by the department. The department’s manual says it conducts a “careful exercise of investigatory techniques” to evaluate complaints before notifying employers.
The Department of Labor told The N&O that it cannot comment on the situation until the complaints have been closed. An NC State spokesperson says the school “doesn’t have any information” on the matter. The N&O also emailed D.H. Griffin and Lineberger’s Tree Service for comment on Tuesday and Wednesday but did not receive a response before publication.
These letters represent a notification of a complaint and a deadline for a response.
The department says it may initiate an inspection of the companies if they do not respond within seven working days “indicating that appropriate action has been taken or that no hazard exists and why.”
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That gives the companies until Sept. 1 to respond.
This story was originally published August 26, 2026 at 11:11 AM.