While it is well known that the heavier one's exposure to asbestos and the longer one is exposed, one's risk of asbestos related disease increases dramatically, studies have shown that those exposed for only a relatively brief period of time (a few weeks to a month) can increase one's likelihood of developing asbestos-related disease. Workers may not even have worked with asbestos, but in jobs located near contaminated areas and have developed asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis and other cancers related to asbestos exposure.

People exposed to asbestos may not show signs of asbestos-related disease for many years after their exposure(s). The latency period for lung cancer is generally 15 years for more. A lag time of 30 to 40 years is not unusual. The development of mesothelioma, the asbestos-related most serious cancer has been known to take as long as 40 to 45 years to present itself.