Asbestos cancer is the result of direct or indirect high-level exposure to asbestos containing materials or ACM. The onslaught of an asbestos related cancer is not immediate. Asbestos-related cancer develops over time due to constant exposure. In most cases, asbestos cancer may take years to develop but in the end can be fatal.

Asbestos is a recognized carcinogen or cancer causing agent that mainly affects the lungs. Although there are cases wherein the asbestos fibers may also enter other parts of the body such as the intestines, esophagus, stomach, kidneys or the pancreas.

Constant exposure to asbestos alters the membrane that surrounds the lungs. Eventually, scar-like tissue builds up gradually in the lungs and the surrounding membrane. Scarring of the lungs is a condition referred to as asbestosis. The most common symptoms of asbestosis are shortness of breath, repeated coughing and at times, heart enlargement.