What consideration should be given to the evaluation of risk to infants and young children who may be exposed to asbestos fibers?
Because asbestos disease is not seen until years after exposure occurs, risks from asbestos are higher for people who are exposed early in life compared to later in life. Risks of developing mesothelioma (a cancer caused by asbestos exposure) increase exponentially as a function of the time of first exposure. Current risk models for evaluating asbestos risks take the age at initial exposure into account.