Short-term asbestos exposure refers to exposure for just a few days. Typically, this level of exposure does not result in significant illness.
That said, there are extreme examples of short-term asbestos exposure that can result in significant illness. For example, the events that occurred on 9/11 in New York City caused some people to be exposed to a significant amount of asbestos. This put them at a much higher risk of severe illness later, as asbestos often takes 10-20 years or more to cause symptoms and illnesses.
It is important to note that being exposed to asbestos for a few minutes many times increases the risk of severe illness. If you are renovating your house and you are exposed to a small amount of asbestos one time, you probably will not develop symptoms of an illness.
However, if you do not seal off the asbestos or safely remove it, you could unknowingly be exposed to it many more times while you live in the house. If you know you were exposed to asbestos once, it is best to take steps to ensure you will not be exposed to it again.