(NewsNation) – North Carolina State University officials and health experts are working to address community health concerns linked to potentially harmful chemicals discovered in a now-closed campus building, according to local reports.
University leaders closed the school’s education and psychology building Poe Hall in November, following tests that showed the presence polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, according to local station WTVD.
Such chemicals were banned in the United States in 1979 because they can be harmful to human and environmental health, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Local station WRAL has since received 152 reports of cancer cases in people with ties to the building. The cases, however, can’t be directly traced to the building.
The newest building test could be available as soon as the end of the month, the school’s chancellor told WRAL.
“When the next phase is completed, we expect another report with results and analysis and will provide this information to you once we receive it,” the university said in an official statement reported by WTVD. “Please be assured that our consultants are working as quickly as possible to get answers about the building.”