You may not know that your body has a thin membrane that covers and even provides lubrication to different cavities within the body. This membrane is called the mesothelium. Exposure to asbestos can lead to cancer in this lining, which is known as mesothelioma.

If cancer has developed in the lining of the lungs then it is pleural mesothelioma. This form of mesothelioma accounts for about 75 percent of the diagnosed cases. This is because many times the asbestos fibers are inhaled and become stuck within the lining of the lungs.

When the cancer is found in the lining of the abdomen this is known as peritoneal mesothelioma. This type of mesothelioma is also caused by breathing in asbestos fibers and accounts for around 20% of diagnoses making it the second most common type.

The rarest type of mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelium surrounding the heart – known as pericardial mesothelioma. Researchers are still trying to figure out how this form develops as it's one of the hardest types of mesothelioma to diagnose.