No evidence of carcinogens in MSU office
An independent investigation into potential environmental hazards inside a building at Metropolitan State University of Denver did not reveal a connection between three faculty member’s cancer diagnoses and their workspace, officials announced Monday.
“These types of situations are never easy,” said Janine Davidson, Metro State’s president, during a Monday town hall held on the Auraria campus downtown. “Emotions run high. Rumors spread. And it makes everyone feel a little on edge.
“My heart goes out to any member of the Roadrunner family who has been diagnosed with this terrible disease. It also important we adopt an analytical approach to assessing the facts and make decisions based on data.”
The situation unfolded about three weeks ago when Metro State faculty members in the Department of Health Professions who worked in a suite of four offices on the second floor of the West Classroom building voiced concern that three employees in close proximity had been diagnosed with cancer around the same time, and a fourth died from cancer two years ago.
University officials hired two independent agencies to test the West Classroom suite for various carcinogens, including radiation, volatile organic compounds, heavy metals or mercury, carbon monoxide and more.
“Everyone is here for a specific reason: Is the building safe?” asked Colleen Walker, CEO of the Auraria Higher Education Center, during the town hall. “The answer is yes.”
The investigation’s test results are publicly available, but Walker summarized the data by saying the test results surpassed the health standards set for state buildings based on meter monitoring, visual analysis and analytical findings. Since the first town hall weeks ago, concerns from other people on campus who also have been diagnosed with cancer or know someone who has been diagnosed have popped up, spurring impassioned conversations among staff, faculty and students.
A person attending Monday’s town hall stood up to ask what Metro State’s response was for all those with lingering worries. Dr. Jonathan Samet, an epidemiologist with expertise in indoor air quality, was on hand to answer questions.
“If we have a population of enough people, some will be developing cancer and sometimes those people are in the same neighborhood, office building, the same job.” Samet said.
Samet said a 40-year-old has a 3% chance of developing cancer in the next 10 years with the odds only increasing from there.
“The analogy I’ve used, and it’s imprecise, but I recently had a grandchild, and I stuck his picture up on the front door of my office,” said Larry Sampler, Metro State’s chief operating officer.
“Prior to putting that picture up, I had no idea how many grandparents were in the office, but the catalyst of the picture had other people coming up to me to say they had a grandchild, too. At the risk of sounding like I’m trivializing something very important, I think the same thing happens here. It may be invisible until some sort of catalytic trigger.”
Dr. Michelle Tollefson, an OBGYN who has taught lifestyle medicine at Metro State for almost nine years, was among the professors who recently had been diagnosed with breast cancer and pushed for more information.
Tollefson and her colleague Dr. Amy Dore — also recently diagnosed with breast cancer — decided to come forward publicly, hoping their stories could encourage at least one person to get a cancer screening and take care better care of themselves.
“At first, I did the ‘Why me?’ thing because I literally teach lifestyle medicine, and I did all the right things,” Tollefson said. “I eat healthy, I exercise, I don’t drink, I teach this stuff. But then I realized ‘Why not me?’ because breast cancer is so incredibly common. I hope to use this to educate people to prevent it and treat it.”