What is the chance of getting mesothelioma when exposed to asbestos?

Depends: People with an asbestos work history can develop mesothelioma after a period of about 30-40 years. The lifetime risk is as high up to 10% chance of developing mesothelioma. In addition, there is a risk of other lung cancers developing too.

Increased: It depends on the type of exposure and amount of asbestos you were exposed to. Certainly asbestos is linked with mesothelioma and the risk increases if you also smoke more details can be found at this link. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/risk/asbestos.