[anono]

I am 15 years old and last year when I was 14 I fell through an asbestos garage roof my mum and dad don't know but the issue is what I should do. I was exposed for about 2O to 3O seconds. I think it was white (corregated/correlated?) asbestos cement sheet, I'm really scared. What shall I do please help .will I be OK? Please.

[thommyschnak]

Don't worry, everything is going to be fine, for the following reasons;
#1 You cannot be positive that it was in fact an asbestos roof, there are many different types of materials that may look like asbestos, but are indeed not.
#2 If you were exposed to asbestos fibers, which I know that I have been, It can take a minimum of 20 to 30 years before you will start to show symptoms, Asbestos fibers look like microscopic hooks and what happens is they go in to your lungs by inhaling and will simply stay there. Some people have no ill affect to these fibers.
When I was your age I used to work with my father who was a carpenter and on allot of jobs we would strip old asbestos siding off, and I would breath the dust. Thirty years later I have not had any ill affects. This does not mean that it is O.K. to breath in asbestos, it just means that maybe I was lucky. I also think that you are very lucky to not have got hurt falling through that roof.
Please consider telling your parents about what happened, because where you fell through the roof, if it was asbestos it should be cleaned up properly so that no one may be exposed to it.
In any case please don't worry about it you still have your whole life ahead of you, and life is to short to spend time worrying about the small stuff.:cool:

[Fr_Chuck]

Yes, there is asbestos everywhere, until a few years ago, siding was made from it, ceiling tiles were made of it, almost every school build in the 50's though the 70's were all insulated with it. It was used in welding gloves, it was used in oven mits. The pads that were used for irons to sit on where made of it.

In fact until 15 years ago, you most likely touched it every day many times a day.

So no a few seconds is likely not to be of any harm

[anono]

Thanks a lot I do feel better. The roof has been repaired. It was asbestos as it was my friends garage. They said it had been there for years. I realise how stupid I was and if there wasn't a car underneath who knows what could have happened. If it definitely was white asbestos can anything happen even though I was exposed for only a short period? But again thanks for your help so far.

[thommyschnak]

I believe I answered your question above... I got this info from my Pulmunologist (Lung Dr.)

[Fr_Chuck]

Long term exposure is the issue here, and even then like with the ship yard workers exposed heavy every day, only a percent of them effected not all.

Again you are most likely exposed on a monthly basis to more than you will ever realise.