Most Affected Age Groups

Mesothelioma cancer can have a long latency period between the time of exposure to asbestos fibers and the onset of the actual injury or disease. The latency period can be anywhere between 15 and 50 years, and sometimes even longer. There are also documented cases of mesothelioma cancer with latency periods of less than 15 years. So, a person only recently diagnosed with mesothelioma was probably exposed to asbestos fibers many years ago.

As reported by the National Cancer Institute, there are about 3,000 cases per year of malignant mesothelioma being reported in the USA. The occurrence of mesothelioma appears to be increasing. Mesothelioma is detected in three times as many men than women. For men, the incidence is 10 times higher for men between the ages of 60 and 70 as compared to men between the ages of 30 and 40. Job site exposure to asbestos in America is estimated to have occurred in about eight million workers over the last five decades.