It generally takes at least 15 years and more or likely 30 years from the first time you are exposed to asbestos to cause Mesothelioma. So, often times I get telephone calls from people saying, I was exposed to asbestos at work or at school and that’s happened last week. What are my risks? What I tell them is you are not going to get Mesothelioma today, tomorrow or even 5 years from now. But if you think you have had substantial exposure, then you need to tell your doctor and make sure you get periodic chest x-rays and examinations just to track your health. The chances of you getting Mesothelioma probably are great. But for people who have Mesothelioma today, they weren’t from exposure that happened last week or even last year, they were exposures that happen 10 years ago, 15 years ago and probably 30 years ago. It’s a concept known as latency--- that means it takes an extended period of time for the cancer to develop. When you inhale asbestos into the lung or it’s digested into the abdomen, it really starts doing its damage almost immediately but it takes many, many years for the mechanisms within the body to break down and actually cause cancer, that is latency. So, Mesothelioma is caused from even light exposure, but from many years ago.