Frequently Asked Questions
PSFA Building Reoccupation Plan
The building has been tested by third-party industrial hygiene firms, confirmed by SDSU Environmental Health & Safety, and has been deemed ready for move-in. Occupants will move in starting the week of May 20.
Air quality tests for an assortment of items (i.e., CO2, VOCs, mold, etc.) has been conducted. One closet was found to have elevated mold spore counts from previous or current mold growth However, the space had been remediated recently and further analysis determined that spore counts inside the building were less than the counts in the outside environment, suggesting that the previous detection was a false-positive. Additionally, one office was found to have low levels of formaldehyde. Re-testing showed the formaldehyde was clear in the original office and present, but dissipating in an adjacent office.
While the full scope of work is yet to be determined, environmental condition corrections will begin including full replacement of the old roof, replacement of windows and storefront doors, and fire code corrections. In addition, work will likely include improvements to the plumbing system and the HVAC system. The anticipated duration will be 15-24 months for all work to be completed.
Please contact your dean or associate dean.
Smoke Testing (May 14-21, 2019)
Smoke testing of the plumbing systems will be occurring daily in the PSFA Building May 14 through May 21. This is planned testing, and the smoke is expected periodically.
The presence of smoke is intentional and part of planned testing of the plumbing systems at the PSFA Building, and in direct response to the ongoing concern of some of those who generally occupy the building. The testing helps to detect leaks in both plumbing and HVAC systems.
Yes. We do ask, however, that anyone who sees visible smoke to please keep your distance even though the smoke is not known to result in symptoms when exposed over a short period of time. Restriction to the PSFA Building, however, continues as part of the ongoing reoccupation.
Please revisit this site, the SDSU Urgent page, frequently, as it is updated regularly.
About the vapors, the odor and self care
Roofing work to the PSFA Building has caused some vapor odors within and around the building since January 2019. Upon being notified of the odor concern, SDSU’s Environmental Health & Safety office has performed gas and indoor air metering within and outside the building to test for organic vapor levels. Additional testing has been performed and all testing since January has indicated anticipated within-range, low amounts of vapor levels.
However, SDSU is aware that the vapor odor currently being generated from the active roofing project in the PSFA Building has created concern for some of its building occupants. While short-term exposure to the vapors is not toxic, the odor may create an aggravation for some people. Symptoms include irritated nose, throat and mucus membranes, and may also include headaches. Anyone who has been inside or near the PSFA Building and are experiencing these short-term symptoms should seek medical attention as a precautionary measure.
Many occupants have already been moved out of the building in an effort to minimize operational interruptions caused by days where the odors have been strong. SDSU has decided to enact a temporary closure of the building to regular use, which becomes effective on Wednesday, March 13. The building will remain accessible until Thursday, March 14, as the university is relocating all students, faculty and staff who regularly use the building.
The term “vapor odor” is associated with the drying out process of the coal tar pitch and asphalt based products that were applied to the roof. The term “vapor” refers to the easily evaporated form of substances that are normally in a solid or liquid state at room temperature and pressure. As the roofing material continues to dry out, these vapors are resulting in the “odor,” or smell. The odor is coming from a coal tar-pitch mastic that was used to achieve a watertight seal between the existing roof and the new roof patches.
While construction work is typically expected to produce strong odors that decrease over time, the situation at PSFA has created an atypical result. Several outside air intake vents are located on the roof, adjacent to the areas of roof work. Though the project team has implemented numerous methods to prevent these odors from entering the building, none of these mitigation efforts has proven to be successful in preventing any and all odors from being present in and around the building.
The presence of vapors vary with weather conditions, and warmer and more dry conditions permit the vapors to increase. People respond differently to the vapors, and inhaling them may irritate the nose, throat, and mucus membranes, and may cause headaches -- immediately upon exposure or delayed, subsequent to exposure. To avoid these short-term symptoms, individuals are asked to move to fresh air. Anyone who has been inside or near the PSFA Building and are experiencing symptoms should seek medical attention as a precautionary measure.
People respond differently to the vapors, and some may experience symptoms that include irritated nose, throat and mucus membranes, and also headaches. If you have experienced or are currently experiencing these symptoms, we encourage you to seek medical care as a precautionary measure.
Keep in mind that how any person reacts to the vapors is contingent upon a number of factors. People respond differently to various environmental factors, and any symptoms may be the result of varied causes, which may or may not be associated with the PSFA Building.
The vapor odor is present and is a result of the roofing repair work currently underway in the PSFA Building. The vapor odor is associated with the drying out process of the roof repair resin that was applied to the roof. This product was used to adhere old roofing materials to new roofing materials.
The roofing materials' safety data sheets indicate that the products utilized at the PSFA Building are hazardous materials, however, there is no known toxicity from acute exposure to the organic vapors that are causing the odor.
People respond differently to the vapors, and some may experience symptoms that include irritated nose, throat and mucus membranes, and also headaches. Anyone who has been inside or near the PSFA Building and is experiencing symptoms should seek medical attention as a precautionary measure.
Students are asked to contact Student Health Services at the Calpulli Center by calling 619-594-4325.
Faculty and staff should immediately report any illness to their supervisor or manager. If medical attention is needed, supervisors should direct employees to visit the nearest authorized Sharp Rees-Stealy Occupational Medicine location. Supervisors and managers are also responsible for completing the Supervisor’s Report of Work Related Illness/Injury, whether the reported illness resulted in medical treatment or not.
The Center for Human Resources is available to assist employees and their supervisors or managers with inquiries related to workers’ compensation incidents and/or claims, by calling (619) 594-1141 or visiting the Workers’ Compensation website.
The Employee Assistance Program offers confidential support for workplace issues. Additional information, resources, and tools are available by calling 800-342-8111 or by visiting the Employee Assistance Program website.
Short-term exposure to the vapor odor is not known to be toxic however, it is understandable that the odor may be disruptive for some individuals. If you have been recently in or around the PSFA Building and are experiencing short-term symptoms such as eye, throat and/or nose irritation, please seek medical attention as a precaution.
SDSU understands that this project has greatly affected all building occupants and users. The concerns raised have been and will continue to be taken seriously. The university will continue to share updates about the construction project and also any relevant updates related to the building’s temporary closure and reopening.
SDSU has also contracted with an environmental consultant to perform air monitoring to occur during the roof work. Monitoring will take place at the roof level and throughout the PSFA Building to measure the effects of the roof work on indoor air quality.
The university appreciates the patience of those impacted as we work to resolve the building issue as soon as possible.
The term “vapor” refers to the easily evaporated form of substances that are normally in a solid or liquid state at room temperature and pressure. As the roofing material continued to dry out, these vapors resulted in the “odor,” or smell. Additional information was provided during the April 3 open forum.
Two main materials, both of which are asbestos-free, are being utilized — Tremfix and POWERply Standard Cold Adhesive:
Tremfix is a material used for general repairs on coal-tar roofs. The product serves to minimize water damage to the interior of buildings by preventing leaks at the roof level. Tremfix consists of coal tar pitch, reinforcing fibers and plasticizers. POWERply Standard Cold Adhesive is an asphalt-based cold-applied surfacing material that adheres roof membranes and aggregate to create a protective barrier over a water-tight seal. It is a low-odor adhesive product that binds the roof ply membranes, which are able to resist thermal shock, tears and splits, and are also fire-resistant.
Yes. To date, SDSU has received 22 "incident only” reports in response to the construction at the PSFA Building. The most common symptoms are irritations to the nose, throat, and mucus membranes, and headaches.
We would like to ensure that all students, faculty and staff are aware of the reporting process in place for work-related injury-illnesses. Reporting forms for students, employees and visitors are available online.
Also, students who are experiencing symptoms or have concerns may seek treatment or consultation at Student Health Services by calling 619-594-4325.
About the PSFA Building temporary closure
Roofing work to the PSFA Building has caused some vapor odors within and around the building. As a proactive measure, SDSU is closing the building to regular use on Wednesday, March 13, with access restricted starting March 14. Some have complained of the odors, which are not toxic, but are bothersome.
The building is scheduled to close to regular use starting Wednesday, March 13. SDSU has decided not to reoccupy the PSFA Building before the end of the semester. This will allow the university to fully address ongoing concerns of any students, faculty and staff. The building will remain accessible on Wednesday, March 13, to facilitate moving needs.
The construction work at the PSFA Building has occurred on the weekends and has been delayed due to ongoing, intermittent rain. In response to the construction, and as is typical of all campus construction, the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) team, responds to all safety concerns from the campus community related to construction projects, such as the PSFA project. The team has not detected an elevated organic vapor level. Since the vapor levels did not exceed the applicable regulatory exposure limits for the primary component of the roofing material, the building was not closed. SDSU did, however, begin to relocate faculty, staff and students as they reported concerns with the odors associated with the construction materials. As the safety and security of the campus community is of prime priority, SDSU ultimately chose to relocate all occupants of the building and also students taking courses in PSFA -- not merely those who requested to be relocated -- to help ensure safety and well-being.
SDSU has monitored air levels since January. Test results to date indicate within-range, low-level amounts of vapor levels. The university also hired the San Diego-based Millennium Consulting, a third party vendor that is performing additional air monitoring tests. The environmental consultant followed up with additional air sampling on March 9 and also March 11. Additional ongoing air testing will continue.
SDSU began moving faculty, staff and students to various locations earlier this month, on March 4. More information, including new temporary locations, is available in the list of impacted offices and classes.
This information is available in the list of impacted offices and classes.
The impact of the PSFA roofing work is limited to the PSFA building. SDSU does not anticipate any safety impacts on other buildings in the vicinity of PSFA.
While the roof work itself has now been completed, the temporary closure is being maintained to ensure the vapor and odors have dissipated, and to prevent further disruptions for students, faculty, staff and visitors who use the building. SDSU’s primary concern is the health, wellbeing and safety of all community members and campus visitors. For that reason, and with an abundance of caution, the university moved to temporarily close the PSFA Building and relocate students, faculty and staff while the repairs were completed. SDSU will continue to inform impacted students, faculty and staff about the planned closure via various communications channels.
The university is working diligently to reopen the building as soon as possible, but SDSU will not reoccupy the PSFA Building before the end of the semester. This will allow the university to fully address ongoing concerns of any students, faculty and staff). Building users will be notified should we be able to reopen the building before this date.
The safety and well-being of all members of our campus community is of primary concern. We also want to ensure that building occupants receive the most current construction, health and safety information before returning to the building. For that reason, SDSU hosted an open forum, including environmental and medical experts. The university is also continuing to support, as it has for months, additional air testing within and around the PSFA Building.
SDSU has decided not to reoccupy the PSFA Building before the end of the semester. This will allow the university to fully address ongoing concerns of any students, faculty and staff.
SDSU’s Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) began performing gas and indoor air metering within and outside the building to determine if there was an elevated organic vapor level that could potentially be a health and safety hazard. Test results indicated within-range, low-level amounts of vapor levels, indicating that they were not toxic. To pursue further analysis complementing the earlier analysis led by EHS, and to provide consultation, SDSU hired the San Diego-based Millennium Consulting, an environmental consultant, to perform additional air monitoring tests during the month of March and April.
The environmental consulting firm has conducted a series of air monitoring test within the PSFA Building during the month of March, and is scheduled to conduct further testing in April. The testing and preliminary information provided to date is as follows:
March 9: Air monitoring occurred at multiple locations within and outside of the PSFA Building for 5.5 hours while roof work occurred. None of the locations, including the roof, were found to be above the laboratory detection limit. Results for this monitoring were received the following week, after the second set of sampling on March 11. It was determined that the volume of air taken in during the monitoring would need to be increased for the laboratory to detect to a lower measurement of the permissible exposure limit. The adjustment was made for the March 20 air monitoring.
March 11: Air monitoring occurred at various locations within the building for 5 hours. None of the locations sampled were found to be above the 8-hour exposure limit established by OSHA regulations.
March 20: Air monitoring occurred for 6 hours and additional air was circulated throughout the building. None of the locations, including the roof, were found to be above the laboratory detection limit, which is the maximum amount of coal tar pitch volatiles that individuals may be exposed to under OSHA regulations. However, odors were present.
Additional testing will occur in the weeks ahead. During the week of March 25, Millennium Consulting will take additional samples of various surfaces throughout the building to analyze whether residual particles are present. The team will provide a final report to SDSU in April.
Yes. A deep clean of the building will be performed after the results of tests are received to verify whether special cleaning methods are required.
Yes. The roof area, mechanical penthouses and east stairwell have each been cleaned. Additional cleaning will occur. Also, the building mechanical system will be flushed to fully remove any roofing material odors from the building.
Yes. Flexible ducts have been installed from the PSFA Building outside air intake vents, and the building has been ventilated through the temporary closure.
Additional information specific to faculty and staff
Classes have been relocated to the extent possible, given space and facilities constraints across the campus. Faculty are encouraged to continue with classes in their relocated spaces or to use a hybrid or online teaching modality, in consultation with their college associate dean.
No, access to the PSFA Building during the closure period will be severely restricted. If you require building access, please visit the Contact Us page for additional information.
Instructional faculty members should reach out to students to inform them of any class changes, if they have not done so already. To determine where your class has been relocated, visit the list of impacted offices and classes. If your class is not on this list, please contact your associate dean.
Instructional Technology Services provides instructional support. Additionally, Instructional Technology Services (ITS) is collaborating with Enrollment Services to identify learning spaces for faculty and students, and will also offer drop-in training for instructional faculty who may wish to utilize Zoom (web conferencing) during the temporary building closure.
Faculty members are asked to call the team at 619-594-6348. The office is open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please also visit the Instructional Technology Services website.
An incident-only report will alert Human Resources to an injury/illness, but does not result in medical treatment at an occupational medicine facility and/or any sought workers’ compensation benefits. A claim is filed when employees feel they have been injured in direct result to the scope of their work and/or their work environment. A claim usually results in treatment at an occupational medicine facility and through the claim process, employees are seeking benefits be paid by our third party administrator. If an employee is concerned about their health, we ask that they please speak to a physician, as a medical doctor is the only person able to offer a clear assessment of a person’s condition.
The Center for Human Resources is available to assist employees and their supervisors with inquiries related to workers’ compensation incidents and/or claims, by calling (619) 594-1141 or visiting the Workers’ Compensation website.
For faculty and staff, the Employee Assistance Program offers confidential support for workplace issues. Information, resources and tools are available by calling 800-342-8111, or visiting the Employee Assistance Program website.
In an abundance of caution, SDSU is not returning students, faculty and staff to the PSFA Building when some members of the campus community remain concerned about the building. SDSU deans and associate deans are working with university administrators to identify short- and long-term solutions for all building occupants. We ask that all faculty and staff work with their deans and associate deans to identify solutions that be support your need, as the building will not be reoccupied for the time being.
SDSU is working closely with the Research Foundation to ensure that grant funding and grant-funded personnel are supported through this process. Faculty are encouraged to speak with their deans and associate deans to identify support.
SDSU is identifying mechanism to adjust the tenure timeline for impacted faculty members. Faculty are encouraged to speak with their deans and associate deans.
As SDSU continues to develop plans to support faculty and staff, please connect with your associate dean as you have any questions. The associate deans are both ready and prepared to connect faculty and staff to the appropriate resource as you need any assistance meeting your research-related deadlines and with moving services, furniture and general office space support.
Also, each dean will be meeting with impacted faculty and staff in the days ahead to better understand their individual needs and to also address immediate concerns.
Additional information specific to SDSU students
People respond differently to the vapors, and some may experience symptoms that include irritated nose, throat and mucus membranes, and also headaches. Anyone who has been inside or near the PSFA Building and is experiencing symptoms should seek medical attention as a precautionary measure.
Students may contact Student Health Services at the Calpulli Center by calling 619-594-4325 or their primary care provider.
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, please contact the Student Ability Success Center at 619-594-6473.
Other questions about personalized academic support for specific classes affected by the PSFA Building’s temporary closure should be directed to the professor teaching the class. More information is available in the list of impacted offices and classes.
We also recognize that some students may need added support during this time. We encourage students to reach out for support at any time. The Office of the Dean of Students is available to assist any student, by calling 619-594-5211. Also, Counseling & Psychological Services team members are available at 619-594-5220 for any student who needs support.
Students who have classes in the PSFA Building should know that their classes will remain relocated to alternative campus spaces. All students should be in touch with their faculty members directly with any questions about their courses and class locations. More information is available in the list of impacted offices and classes.
Additionally, SDSU is identifying locations for final exams and will share that information at a later time.
Additional information specific to campus visitors
If you have been near the exterior of the building in recent months, you may have smelled the odors. However, your level of exposure is likely to have been very low, as the exposure potential is very low in outdoor, well-ventilated spaces.
Some classes in the building have already been relocated or rescheduled, and students needing to determine their relocated classes should check the list of impacted offices and classes. Administrative offices for the following academic units have been relocated:
- College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts (the Office of the Dean, School of Journalism & Media Studies, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and the School of Public Affairs)
- College of Arts and Letters (IT staff)
- College of Education
- Confucius Center