Warning! Coffee May Cause Cancer!

Are you getting a little tired of being warned that all kinds of stuff you do is unsafe?  I wrote a post recently about Warning Fatigue with regard to our office’s Electronic Medical Record which I fear will emit a flashing Red Alert if I prescribe a patient an aspirin.

Now, I start every morning with a steaming cup of coffee.  In fact, there is one beside me right now, as I peck about my Dell keyboard to create this post.  My inner circle of intimates and those with whom I share a high percentage of DNA, are aware that I add something to the java, which is a rather atypical additive.  Curious readers may inquire further, although I cannot pledge here that I will make a full disclosure.   Persuade me to disclose, and I will give your request due consideration..

Recently, a judge in California ruled that various coffee companies, including Starbucks, must issue a cancer warning regarding a component of coffee called acrylamide  Violators would be subject to a mere $2,500 daily fine until the establishment complied.  Should Starbucks file for bankruptcy?  Or, better yet, can we sue the coffee companies if we become ill?  What about the fear of becoming ill?  Shouldn't that be compensable?

You might think that this warning could discourage sales since most folks, including me, are against cancer.  But, most folks, including me, shrug off dire warnings on substances and activities that have become part of our daily lives for hundreds of years.  And, calling something a carcinogen – which sounds scary – does not mean it is truly toxic. It may in theory pose a risk that is simply too infinitesimal to take seriously.  For example, if some laboratory rodents (the most unlucky creatures on the planet) are given the equivalent of 500 cups of coffee a day for a year, and they develop tumors, should we humans be concerned because some element of the java may be a carcinogen?

Arsenic in Disguise?

More confusing is to consider all of the putative health benefits of coffee, which even a rudimentary Googler such as myself quickly uncovered.   There are claims, for instance, that coffee can protect us against diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, depression and liver disease.  Perhaps, we should increase our coffee intake to protect ourselves.  

If we avoided every substance that an organization claimed to be risky and injurious, we would have to live in a hermetically sealed chamber receiving specialized feedings through a tube.  Doesn’t that sound like fun?

What if some organization decided that oxygen was toxic and needed to be avoided?  How long can you hold your breath?