Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer that affects about three thousand Americans each year. This year, one of those Americans was Charlie Metro, former Major League Baseball player and manager.
Metro died at 91 years old after fighting mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is caused by toxic chemical asbestos. There are no specific details on when or how Metro was exposed to asbestos, but he did share in a 2007 interview that he spent time working in the coalmines of Western Pennsylvania. Metro joined his father, a fulltime miner, for mine work during the summers.
Asbestos exposure is a risk associated with many types of mining. Miners often come in contact with raw asbestos while in cramped spaces with minimal ventilation. This makes inhalation of asbestos fibers and dust more probable than in an open area where the air is moving. Asbestos dust and fibers can be brought home on miners clothes, shoes and in their hair, extending possible asbestos exposure to family and household members who may never have entered mines themselves.
Once asbestos fibers are inhaled they can cause severe respiratory conditions, which include mesothelioma, as well as lung cancers and asbestosis. Mesothelioma is characterized by a long latency period, often between twenty and fifty years. During this time there are no noticeable symptoms and the patient is usually completely unaware that they are developing cancer.
Mesothelioma grows in an irregular pattern of tumors through the lung lining or lining of other abdominal cavities. When symptoms do show they mimic those of bronchitis and pneumonia, usually postponing proper diagnosis. Once diagnosis is made, mesothelioma patient life expectancy averages eighteen months. There are mesothelioma treatments available, but no known cure. Treatment typically includes a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
During Metro’s summer work in the mines, he survived a blast that killed seven other men.
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