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Bulged water damaged 16 x 32 ceiling tiles - possible asbestos (C) InspectApedia C.H.Asbestos in Domtar Ceiling Tiles
Do Canadian DOMTAR ceiling tiles contain asbestos?
Asbestos in Donnacona or other Canadian ceiling tiles?

Some ceiling tiles bearing the FRF brand or stamp may contain asbestos, but to date, lab test reports found no asbestos in this product.

In this article series we discuss how to recognize & handle ceiling tiles that may contain asbestos.

We describe the appearance, ingredients, years of manufacture, history, and producers of various types of ceiling tiles & coverings as an aid in determining whether or not a particular ceiling covering or tile is likely to contain asbestos.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

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Do Domtar® Ceiling Tiles or Drywall Contain Asbestos?

Domtar Inc. plain white ceiling tiles from the 1960's, packaging, box labeling (C) InspectApedia.comQuestion: can I use these old Canadian Domtar® ceiling tiles?

2018/06/15 Claudia S Nunn said:

Somebody is offering some free ceiling tiles which I could use. The problem is they are from the 1960's.

I have done some searching (you have a wonderful site here! thanks for providing all this important information!!) but found nothing specific about Domtar except that they have had to pay for asbestos faux pas in the past. I am adding a photo of the box.

If anybody has knowledge one way or the other I would appreciate it. I have a ceiling to put up!! lol Thanks again.

Reply:

Claudia,

Asbestos was used in ceiling products at least as early as the 1800's and continued into the 1980's or possibly later depending on the country of origin or use of these products.

But our initial research suggests that the Domtar® residential ceiling tiles you have are probably a wood-fibre-based product, not an asbestos product.

In 1983 Domtar closed its ceiling panel plant that was located in Cornwall, Ontario but continued to manufacture its wood fibre-based ceiling tiles at its Donnacona plant near Quebec City, Canada.

Domtar Construction Materials said Friday its fire-resistant ceiling panel plant will close Dec. 17, 1982, putting 94 employees out of work.

A company spokesman said the closure was due to stagnant markets and continued financial losses at the plant.... Domtar Construction, a subsidiary of Montreal-based Domtar Inc., will continue to manufacture wood fibre-based ceiling tiles and panels at its plant in Donnacona, near Quebec City. - UPI, retrieved 2018/06/15, original source: https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/07/23/Domtar-Construction-Materials-said-Friday-its-fire-resistant-ceiling-panel/7748396244800/

A look at the Domtar 2017 ANNUAL REPORT 10-K FILING finds no mention of the words "ceiling tile" although the company does indicate that it faces costs for asbestos cleanup and violation of environmental regulations concerning asbestos. " - Retrieved 2018/06/15, original source: www.domtar.com/sites/default/files/2018-03/2017-DOMTAR_Annual_Report_10K.pdf

A look at this DOMTAR HEALTH CONSULT performed by the US CDC in 2008 also finds no mention of the words "ceiling tile" - Retrieved 2018/06/15, original source: www.atsdr.cdc.gov/hac/pha/DomtarGypsumAmerican/DomtarGypsumAmericanIncHC050708.pdf

A prime asbestos hazard associated with Domtar's manufacturing centers on the use of asbestos-containing vermiculite - "Occupational exposure for people who worked at the Domtar facility when Libby vermiculite
was used at the plant (1967-1984) is considered a completed pathway." - Op. Cit.

I recommend having your free ceiling tiles tested for asbestos - the cost would be less than $50. CDN. See ASBESTOS TESTING LAB LIST inspectapedia.com/hazmat/Asbestos_Ceiling_Tiles.php

Let me know what you find.

Meanwhile I will continue to research your question.

Other Possible Asbestsos-Containing Canadian Ceiling Materials

Question: Do acoustic tiles in a 1994 house in Canada contain asbestos?

We are looking at purchasing a house built in 1994 (in Canada) the whole house has what appear to be square acoustic tiles. How certain can I be that these do not contain asbestos - is the age of the home enough of a reassurance? - Christina 10/24/12

Reply:

Christina,

to be CERTAIN that a material does not contain asbestos you'd need to have a sample tested by a qualified lab.

Certainly the age of the home is new enough that one would not expect asbestos ceiling tiles to have been used - someone would have had to get a hold of old materials

On 2016-09-11 by (mod) - Asbestos in Domtar® Drywall?

RE-posting, link delayed for security:

KJohnson said:

I have a house built in 1973 that I had knocked out a piece of drywall not knowing that it may contain asbestos. The drywall was manufactured by Domtar Construction Materials Ltd (DCM Ltd) with a brand name "Gyproc" rather than gyprock. It was also labeled as fireproof. This drywall has a bit of a pinkish hue and has some sparse but fine fibers sticking out of some of the cut edges.

From what I understand, DCM Ltd was a Canadian division, but also had an American counterpart that used asbestos in its drywall mixture (Health Consultation

DOMTAR GYPSUM AMERICAN, INC., 801 MINAKER DRIVE ANTIOCH, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA EPA Facility ID CAD089182810 MAY 7, 2008, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Division of Health Assessment and Consultation, Atlanta, Georgia 30333 )

Would the Canadian drywall likely have used the same asbestos mixture, or could this have been made with fiberglass? I have been unable to find any manufacturing information on DCM Ltd.

Comments:

(Mar 13, 2015) Sergio Freddson said:
This is a very thorough article! I never realized asbestos was so common in residential homes. I guess I just always assumed it was used more often in commercial buildings. I'll have to double check a few areas in my home for asbestos tiles. Thank you for your advice!

Reply:

Generally asbestos-containing materials such as ceiling tiles are safest left alone and in-place unless the material is damaged, falling down, shedding, leaving debris that can be tracked through a home or otherwise made airborne.

It's ok to paint over, encapsulate, seal, or cover-over such materials if occupants prefer. Unnecessary removal is actually more likely to be hazardous than leaving the material alone.


...

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