It is laudable and admirable to collect money to be used for cancer patients like Puttinu, the Community Chest Fund and Xarabank are doing. But we must do more to prevent the advance of cancer. I hope these three entities will invest more energy in prevention.

We have started on early detection which is good. But why can't we as a nation work more on prevention? Some cancers cannot be helped but others can: an article I read said that one third of cancer deaths are caused by smoking and another third can be prevented if we change our diet. This will also help nip in the bud other.

I would like to ask: Why don't we decide as a nation to reduce diesel exhaust emissions? What is being done to monitor traces of pesticides on the food we eat? I found it disturbing when an NGO published a study in which it found traces of pesticide in human urine and the government went on the defensive.

Joe Portelli

Nadur