Exposure to asbestos can lead to a number of deadly conditions, most notably a form of cancer called mesothelioma, or "mesothelioma asbestos." (Mesothelioma asbestos is technically not a correct term, but is often used for research among patients who have contracted this disease because asbestos exposure is the only known cause of malignant mesothelioma.) Asbestos exposure can also cause a different, non-cancerous form of lung disease called asbestosis.
Asbestos has been mined, processed and used to manufacture goods for at least 2,000 years. However, the more recent heavy use of asbestos, from the late 1880s to the 1960s, caused laborers to be exposed to it in such quantities that cases of asbestosis and mesothelioma from asbestos exposure became widespread.
Thousands of people have died of mesothelioma and asbestosis since the 1930s, and medical specialists expect this epidemic to continue for the next 20 years. The lag time between initial asbestos exposure and the onset of these deadly diseases is typically 30 to 40 years and has been as long as 60 years.
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