Mesothelioma is not the same as lung cancer.

The most tragic and unacceptable aspect of Mesothelioma is that 80 % of the time it is contracted due to asbestos exposure in the environment. Although sometimes referred to as "asbestos lung cancer", mesothelioma is not the same as lung cancer. Most people with malignant mesothelioma worked on jobs where they breathed asbestos. Others were exposed to asbestos in a household environment, often without knowing it. Very little exposure can result in mesothelioma. Sometimes people who worked with asbestos for as little as one or two months get mesothelioma.

Exposure to asbestos has proven to result in a wide range of health conditions, including mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs, heart, or abdomen. In addition to mesothelioma, Navy veterans account for 16 percent of asbestos-related lung cancer. For many decades asbestos exposure has been known to cause asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma cancer.