Canec / Arsenic

Canec may be found in ceilings and/or interior walls as a tile or panel in buildings constructed prior to 1964. On ceilings, canec is often characterized with V‐shaped groove joints that are arranged in linear patterns. The material itself is a fiberboard that is brownish‐orange in color, though the exposed surface is typically finished smooth and painted, making it look similar to modern drywall. The individual fibers in canec building materials are fine and are not uniformly oriented. Canec is noticeably softer than drywall and can be dented with a firm press of a fingernail.

A Hawaii State Certified DOH asbestos inspector is generally required to inspect and sample suspect building materials for presence of asbestos prior to demolition or renovation activities for institutional, commercial, public, industrial, and certain residential structures such as condominiums, apartments, and co‐ops (not private single family homes). Canec is considered a suspect building material for demolition/renovation related asbestos surveys in these types of buildings. Although canec is not known to have contained asbestos as part of its manufacturing process, in certain cases an asbestos‐containing paint or surface coating could have been applied to the canec after it was installed.