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Exposure to asbestos fibers causes mesothelioma cancer. Mesothelioma can result from very small fibers or dust particles at low exposure levels. Most such exposure would likely have occurred prior to 1973, but the latency period can be up to 40 years for most lung cancer to develop. Many people have come into contact with asbestos fibers via their jobs, or occupational exposure. There is also a risk to the family members of those working in at-risk occupations; this exposure is called paraoccupational exposure. Likewise, people who live near sites likely to have asbestos around the facility are also at risk: refineries, power plants, factories, shipyards, steel mills and building demolition are types of work sites that can release asbestos fibers into the environment and contaminate nearby residential neighborhoods.
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