comment is free  A truly toxic issue  Modern life is saturated
with carcinogenic chemicals. But without regulation, just how
are we supposed to avoid them? Healthful or hateful? Apples can
contain any of 42 pesticides, including cancer-causing
chemicals. Photograph: Graeme Robertson for the Guardian  I used
to be under the impression that you had a reasonable chance of
avoiding debilitating and potentially fatal diseases like cancer
if you just took a few simple precautions: ate plenty of fruit
and vegetables, gave up smoking, drank in moderation and did a
bit of exercise. It's since become apparent that the world we
live in is so overrun with environmental pollutants that it is
next to impossible to keep oneself truly healthy.  A report
released in the US earlier this year by the President's Cancer
Panel concluded that the risk of environmentally induced cancer
has been grossly underestimated; that exposure to potential
carcinogens is widespread; that the 80,000 or so chemicals used
by millions of Americans