KEEP the Great Lakes surrounding the US-Canada border clean or fall prey to cancer and impotency, warns the International Joint Commission, the watchdog for the five lakes -- Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. A recent report of the organisation expresses concern about the apparent nonchalance of the US and Canadian governments and the industry on this issue.

All the efforts of the Commission, which was formed to check the discharge of toxic compounds into the water bodies, have failed. And, the report says, "A rapid spread of breast cancer, a significant drop in male sperm count and several cases of children with behavourial problems have been recorded in the adjacent areas. All these may be attributed to the pollution in the lakes."