The best use of the World Health Organization’s warning on cellphone use and cancer would be to provoke more research into whether cellular technology causes potentially deadly brain-cell gliomas. Boston hospitals, take note: The world is fast moving toward intense use of handheld devices, and it’s crucial to determine if the technology is in any way dangerous.
Otherwise, the WHO’s ruling feels like a bureaucratic hedge — placing cellphones on a giant list of 266 items that can “possibly’’ cause cancer. It’s understandably hard to figure out what to do with this information, except to note that the WHO is a serious, responsible organization, and that caution might suggest avoiding heavy use of cellphones. Increasing the number of ears-free hours in the day wouldn’t be a bad start.
