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Doctor claims toxic chemicals in old NC State University building caused his leukemia
North Carolina State University played a huge role in Darren Masier's life — first as a student earning his degree and PhD, then as a lecturer.
But now he fears the college could be the death of him.
Professor Masier, 57, began suffering unusual symptoms in mid-2022 — a weeks-long eye infection, gum infections that lasted for months and gout.
Then last summer, despite being a triathlete and avid runner, he was diagnosed with a rare and deadly blood cancer that normally strikes people in their 70s or 80s.
As the father-of-one began treatment, he started to hear from former colleagues who were also struck down by mysterious illnesses including unusual tumors.
Professor Masier is pictured above within Poe Hall giving a presentation on his dissertation. He had not previously had concerns over the building
Professor Masier is pictured above leaving hospital after 133 days in the units for treatment
'I started hearing from people that I knew about this Poe Hall thing, and a lot of them were being diagnosed with different cancers,' Professor Masier told DailyMail.com.
'There were about six or seven of us who were pretty close during our time at NC State. One of us had leukemia, another of us had cancer, and another had an immune disorder.
'And that's just us six. When they heard I had leukemia, they all tipped me off about this.'
The number of cases in his group led Professor Masier — who teaches human resource management — believe there was an issue with the building where they taught.
Professor Masier had attended classes and lectured at Poe Hall — on the college's North Campus in Raleigh — for five years, from 2009 to 2013.
Testing in November 2023 revealed the air and surfaces in the building contained chemicals known as polychlkorinated biphenyls (PCBs) which cause cancer and were outlawed in the US in 1979 — after previously been widely used in construction materials, paints and electronic equipment.
Tests found levels of this substance at up to 38 times the safe limit in the building, as recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
More than 211 people have now come forward saying they have fallen sick after attending classes at Poe Hall, the 1971-built seven-storey brutalist building.
Poe Hall, a class building at North Carolina State University, was found to be contaminated with PCBs — which were outlawed in the US in 1979
The building was constructed in 1971, when PCBs were more commonly used in construction materials
Rebekah Dunston, a 35-year-old former communications student who was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer after attending classes at the hall.
Sarah Glad was also a former student and who died less than two years after she was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer.
Professor Masier was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a type of aggressive cancer that affects white blood cells.
The majority of cases are diagnosed in those aged 65 years or over, with most occurring in the late 70s and early 80s.
Professor Masier pictured above with his wife
He is now in remission after being treated with a bone marrow transplant, but eight months later is yet to regain his full strength and can only jog a little.
He also had to have the top part of his left lung removed after he developed a fungal infection while in hospital.
Professor Masier said: 'I have been a very avid runner and triathlete my whole life, but I can't really run anymore. I just walk and jog a little.
'I am recovering well, but still have about ten pounds to gain back. I am also still bald, but that hair should grow back soon.'
Doctors say his cancer has now disappeared, although he remains concerned that it could return. Statistics show that 70 percent of AML patients die within five years of their diagnosis.
He has since instructed attorneys to fight to gain access to Poe Hall to allow independent testing of the air to be carried out.
He does not plan to seek damages at this time, but rather wants to find the cause of the illnesses in order to help others who were in the building but have since been diagnosed with an illness.
This week, independent testing finally began in the building after a settlement was reached with the university — following a four-month battle.
Darren Masier, 57, pictured above with his wife, was diagnosed with a type of blood cancer a decade after he was teaching in Poe Hall at North Carolina State University
NC state received complaints over the building's ventilation system as early as 2007, but did not close it until November 2023
Other victims include Rebekah Dunston (left, in hospital) who discovered she had stage three colon cancer just weeks after Sarah Glad found out she had terminal breast cancer. The pair were in their early thirties and in the prime of their lives — Sarah was 14 weeks pregnant (with her baby boy) and Mrs Dunston had just got married
They plan to take more than 1,000 swabs in order to build a picture of the extent of PCB contamination in the building.
Records show concerns were first raised over the air quality in Poe Hall — the former home of the psychology and education classes — in 2007, when staff said they needed to put 'cheesecloth-like' fabrics over vents in order to use the building.
More recently, people also reported a black liquid dripping out of air ventilation units and onto their desks.
The university only closed the building in November 2023, after independent testing revealed it was laced with PCBs.
These are man-made chemicals previously used in caulking substances — putty used to seal gaps and joints in buildings — among others.
They may leach out and evaporate into the air, however, where they can be breathed in by humans and enter the blood stream — where they play havoc with the immune system and raise the risk of conditions like cancer.
The EPA has labeled them a 'potential carcinogen' and lab studies in animals have linked them to blood cancers like non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and cancers of the liver, breast and brain.
Dr Norman Sharpless, the former director of the National Cancer Institute and professor of cancer policy and innovation at the University of North Carolina, previously told DailyMail.com: 'The data is reasonably strong that PCBs can be linked to certain kinds of cancer.'
NC State alumna Christie Lewis (pictured left), who attended the university from 2007 to 2012, said that she started having night sweats while she was taking classes in Poe Hall. 'I could not figure out what was happening,' she told Fox News Digital
Dr Suneel Kamath, an oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic, added: 'While we can't say for certain that PCBs at Poe Hall were the cause of the cancers observed in patients, it is highly unusual that so many young and otherwise healthy people would get cancers at such a high rate.
'It definitely suggests that some environmental exposure is the culprit. It's unlikely this number of people would have hereditary/genetic reasons to develop cancer, especially without a strong family history.'
Professor Masier was in Poe Hall from about 8am to 3pm every day, and then often in the evenings for other classes.
In 2013, he left to become a professor at Meredith College also in Raleigh, North Carolina.
While being treated for his cancer, he had four rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant — when he nearly lost his life after his body showed signs of rejecting the new tissue.
'It was a rough Christmas and New Year's,' he said, 'but I made it out of the intensive care unit and back'.
He is pictured again above with his wife following discharge from the hospital
Professor Masier added: 'If they find out what caused my leukemia, that could provide assistance to doctors and assist with the treatment of myself or anyone else who falls ill after spending time at Poe Hall.
'If they are hiding something, and everything is pointing towards that they are hiding something, this might infuriate me, who knows. I just want answers.'
'The way NC State has fought us really makes me wonder, there are so many people that have come forward that spent a significant amount of time in Poe Hall, it makes me wonder about that building.'
NC State has set up a webpage for those who are concerned about the air quality in Poe Hall, and says it is now looking into replacing the ventilation system.
A spokesman said: 'We are pleased that we have reached an agreement with all law firms — including those involved in the pending litigation — that have reached out to us on behalf of potential claimants to allow them access to Poe Hall to conduct testing and visual inspections of the building.
'While the building remains closed and access limited, this approach ensures that the interested law firms are able to gather the information they are seeking in an orderly process prior to any remediation of the building.'
Chancellor Randy Woodson adds online: 'The university remains committed to doing the right things to ensure this is a safe place to work, learn and live.'