

That bit of wisdom is attributed to Sir William Osler, the first professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins and the doctor often referred to as the father of modern medicine. His insight on the subject of health risk can illuminate today's cellphone safety debate.

People are having a hard time interpreting the finding last week by a World Health Organization panel that cellphones are "possibly carcinogenic." Some talk of giving up the phones -- or at least going to speakerphone-only.

Others chided the WHO panel for not being more specific about the risk. Still others were surprised to learn that the finding was not the result of new information but a conclusion reached after reviewing numerous existing studies.

So have a cup of coffee -- which, by the way, is on the same list of possible carcinogens -- and accept this for what it is: The sharing of the best health information we have from a body of knowledge that's constantly growing.

Scientists themselves aren't sure of the risk. So they're doing what the best of them do under the circumstances: calling attention to what they do know, and telling cellphone users to use their own judgment from the available science -- most of which indicates that if there is a risk, it's relatively small. Meanwhile, scientists continue to review data, consider new hypotheses and test them as rigorously as possible. We're lucky that they do.


It's frustrating to get inconclusive information, but waiting until danger or safety is proven absolutely would be far worse. Imagine how you'd feel if word came out of the blue that after years of study, cellphones were proven to be deadly.

You'd be furious that you hadn't gotten a hint of a warning earlier.

Many people stopped smoking, or tried to, long before the danger was proved beyond a doubt.

We've seen this sort of nuance from researchers before, and we've seen their conclusions change over time. The industrial chemical bisphonel A is an example. Once unconvinced of any danger from BPA, the Food and Drug Administration continued to evaluate data and now wants the plastics industry to stop using the material in baby bottles and infant feeding cups.

The World Health Organization scientists couldn't say how large or small a risk cellphone radiation may pose. So they classified it in Group 2B out of five possible categories of risk.

Group 1 is the most toxic substances, with proven causes of cancer such as smoking and asbestos high on the list. Group 2A is for probable carcinogens such as creosotes, diesel exhaust and use of sun beds. Group 2B contains the "possibly carcinogenic" threats, placing cellphones in the company of more than 220 chemicals, pesticides and other potential dangers, including that cup of coffee. Group 3 and Group 4 items are considered to be less risky, but new information is being gathered constantly.

The renowned Sir William Osler believed that thoroughness is the most difficult virtue to acquire in the medical field -- "but it is the pearl of great price, worth all the worry and trouble of the search."

Text that to all your cellphone friends.