I REFER to the article on May 1, 2002, entitled -- "Hospital slams new study on child cancer".

If the reporter or the spokesman for The Christie Hospital in Manchester had bothered to check their facts, they would have discovered that the increase in cases of childhood cancer had been identified by Professor Jillian Birch at the Dept of Paediatric Oncology, just down the road at Manchester University, in December, 2001, and that environmental causes were noted as being one of the significant factors.

Professor Birch has identified that cases of lymphoblastic leukaemia and tumours of the central nervous system are increasing by an average of one and three per cent annually, which equates at the very least to a 10 per cent rise over 15 years ago. Professor Birch herself commented: "Now that we know the rate of childhood cancer is creeping upwards, it is essential that we find out why ... "

If the spokesman at the Christie feels we are being alarmist by alerting people to the facts and offering parents ways in which they can limit their children's risks of developing these cancers, then it is an accusation to which we are happy to plead guilty. The question you should be asking on behalf of your readers is, why this scientific evidence has not received wider coverage and why those with vested interests seek to rubbish it?

Surely this is the real scandal?

Andrew Miller

Marketing Manager

What Doctor's Don't Tell You Ltd

London