According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020, the latest year for which this data is available, 2,681 new cases of mesothelioma were reported in the United States, and 2,376 people died from it. Though the first asbestos lawsuits were filed in the 1930s, today there remains confusion about the many types of asbestos exposure that can cause someone to contract mesothelioma.