(Press-News.org) Exposure to the light of white LED bulbs, it turns out, suppresses melatonin 5 times more than exposure to the light of High Pressure Sodium bulbs that give off an orange-yellow light. "Just as there are regulations and standards for 'classic' pollutants, there should also be regulations and rules for the pollution stemming from artificial light at night," says Prof. Abraham Haim of the University of Haifa.
"White" light bulbs that emit light at shorter wavelengths are greater suppressors of the body's production of melatonin than bulbs emitting orange-yellow light, a new international study has revealed.
Melatonin is a compound that adjusts our biological clock and is known for its anti-oxidant and anti-cancerous properties.
The study investigated the influence of different types of bulbs on "light pollution" and the suppression of melatonin, with the researchers recommending several steps that should be taken to balance the need to save energy and protecting public health.
"Just as there are regulations and standards for 'classic' pollutants, there should also be regulations and rules for pollution stemming from artificial light at night," says Prof. Abraham Haim, head of the Center for Interdisciplinary Chronobiological Research at the University of Haifa and the Israeli partner in the research.
The study, titled "Limiting the impact of light pollution on human health, environment and stellar visibility" by Fabio Falchi, Pierantonio Cinzano, Christopher D. Elvidge, David M. Keith and Abraham Haim, was recently published in the Journal of Environmental Management.
The fact that "white" artificial light (which is actually blue light on the spectrum, emitted at wavelengths of between 440-500 nanometers) suppresses the production of melatonin in the brain's pineal gland is already known. Also known is the fact that suppressing the production of melatonin, which is responsible, among other things, for the regulation of our biological clock, causes behavior disruptions and health problems.
In this study, conducted by astronomers, physicists and biologists from ISTIL- Light Pollution Science and Technology Institute in Italy, the National Geophysical Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, and the University of Haifa, researchers for the first time examined the differences in melatonin suppression in a various types of light bulbs, primarily those used for outdoor illumination, such as streetlights, road lighting, mall lighting and the like.
In the first, analytical part of the study, the researchers, relying on various data, calculated the wavelength and energy output of bulbs that are generally used for outdoor lighting. Next, they compared that information with existing research regarding melatonin suppression to determine the melatonin suppression level of each bulb type.
Taking into account the necessity for artificial lighting in cities, as well as the importance of energy-saving bulbs, the research team took as a reference point the level of melatonin suppression by a high-pressure sodium (HPS) bulb, a bulb that gives off orange-yellow light and is often used for street and road lighting, and compared the data from the other bulbs to that one.
From this comparison it emerged that the metal halide bulb, which gives off a white light and is used for stadium lighting, among other uses, suppresses melatonin at a rate more than 3 times greater than the HPS bulb, while the light-emitting diode (LED) bulb, which also gives off a white light, suppresses melatonin at a rate more than 5 times higher than the HPS bulb.
"The current migration from the now widely used sodium lamps to white lamps will increase melatonin suppression in humans and animals," the researchers say.
The researchers make some concrete suggestions that could alter the situation without throwing our world into total darkness, but first and foremost, they assert that it is necessary to understand that artificial light creates "light pollution" that ought to be addressed in the realms of regulation and legislation.
Their first suggestion of course, is to limit the use of "white" light to those instances where it is absolutely necessary. Another suggestion is to adjust lampposts so that their light is not directed beyond the horizon, which would significantly reduce light pollution. They also advise against "over-lighting", using only the amount of light needed for a task, and, of course, to simply turn off lighting when not in use - "Just like we all turn off the light when we leave the room. This is the first and primary way to save energy," the researchers say.
"Most Italian regions have legislations to lower the impact of light pollution, but they still lack a regulation on the spectrum emitted by lamps. Unless legislation is updated soon, with the current trend toward sources as white LEDs, which emit a huge amount of blue light, we will enter a period of elevated negative effects of light at night on human health and environment. Lamp manufacturers cannot claim that they don't know about the consequences of artificial light at night," says Dr. Fabio Falchi of ISTIL.
"As a first step in Israel, for example, the Standards Institution of Israel should obligate bulb importers to state clearly on their packaging what wavelengths are produced by each bulb. If wavelength indeed influences melatonin production, this is information that needs to be brought to the public's attention, so consumers can decide whether to buy this lighting or not," Prof. Haim says.
### END
Dangers of exposure to 'white' light
New study reveals: 'White' light suppresses the body's production of melatonin -- a compound that adjusts our biological clock and is known for its anti-oxidant and anti-cancerous properties -- more than orange light
2011-09-13
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Study reveals link between high cholesterol and Alzheimer's disease
2011-09-13
ST. PAUL, Minn. – People with high cholesterol may have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the September 13, 2011, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
"We found that high cholesterol levels were significantly related to brain plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease," said study author Kensuke Sasaki, MD, PhD, of Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan.
For the study, the cholesterol levels were tested for 2,587 people age 40 to 79 who had no signs of Alzheimer's disease. Then ...
September/October 2011 Annals of Family Medicine Tip Sheet
2011-09-13
Why Patients Don't Disclose Depression to Their Physicians
Many adults subscribe to beliefs that inhibit them from disclosing symptoms of depression to their primary care physician. In a survey of 1,054 adults, 43 percent of patients reported one or more reasons for not talking to a primary care physician about their depression, with the most frequently cited reason being concern the physician would recommend antidepressants (23 percent). Other barriers reported by patients include the belief it is not the primary care physician's job to deal with emotional issues (16 ...
Women who inherit BRCA gene mutations develop cancer earlier than their ancestors
2011-09-13
A new analysis has found that women who develop certain hereditary cancers develop them at earlier ages than women in the previous generation. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the results point to the importance of tracking younger ages of cancer diagnosis to determine when to provide counseling, screening, and treatment services.
Women who have mutations in the BRCA genes have a high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers at young ages. Mutations in these genes are often inherited, so multiple family members ...
OAI: Mo. Auto Insurance Cos. Will See Less Red Tape for Mobile Claims Centers
2011-09-13
Missourians could have an easier time filing damage claims on their inexpensive auto insurance and other policies the next time a natural disaster strikes that state.
That's because a new state law prohibits towns and cities from forcing coverage providers to obtain business licenses before they can set up emergency claim-processing centers to serve customers in storm-damaged areas.
State officials say that type of bureaucratic holdup happened on multiple occasions this year in Missouri, where residents struggled with several tornadoes, including one in the city ...
Researchers discover blood proteins associated with early development of lung cancer
2011-09-13
SEATTLE – A research team led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has discovered proteins in the blood that are associated with early lung cancer development in mice and humans. The advance brings the reality of a blood test for the early detection and diagnosis of lung cancer a step closer.
The findings, by a team led by Samir Hanash, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Hutchinson Center's Molecular Diagnostics Program and member of its Public Health Sciences Division, are published online Sept. 12 ahead of the Sept. 13 print issue of Cancer Cell.
"A major feature of this ...
Hyperventilation may trigger febrile seizures in children
2011-09-13
New research shows that febrile seizures in children may be linked to respiratory alkalosis, indicated by elevated blood pH and low carbon dioxide levels caused by hyperventilation, and independent of the underlying infection severity. Febrile seizures were not observed in susceptible children with fevers brought on by gastroenteritis, suggesting that low blood pH levels (acidosis) may have a protective effect. Full findings now appear in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE).
Febrile seizures ...
People in poorer neighborhoods have higher risk of sudden cardiac arrest
2011-09-13
Sudden cardiac arrest was higher among people living in poorer neighbourhoods in several US and Canadian cities, and the disparity was particularly evident among people under age 65, found a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/site/embargo/cmaj101512.pdf.
Sudden cardiac arrest accounts for up to 63% of deaths annually from cardiac diseases in the United States. Socioeconomic status is a predictor of many health-related conditions, including death and heart disease. This study examined a potential link between ...
Cardiovascular drug may offer new treatment for some difficult types of leukemia
2011-09-13
INDIANAPOLIS – A drug now prescribed for cardiovascular problems could become a new tool in physicians' arsenals to attack certain types of leukemia that so far have evaded effective treatments, researchers say.
The drug, Fasudil, has been used to treat stroke patients because it is a vasodilator, meaning it dilates blood vessels. However, its potential in leukemia emerged because its method of action is blocking the activity of a protein called Rho kinase, or ROCK.
ROCK, which plays a role in a variety of cellular activities, attracted the attention of the national ...
1 in 5 Canadians has metabolic syndrome
2011-09-13
Approximately one in five Canadians has metabolic syndrome — a combination of risk factors for diabetes and heart disease — according to a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/site/embargo/cmaj110070.pdf.
Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of heart disease twofold and includes a combination of three or more of the following five conditions: abdominal obesity, high triglycerides (high blood fat), low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure or impaired glucose tolerance.
The study looked at data from cycle 1 ...
BVES butts heads with colorectal cancer
2011-09-13
Once a cancer gains the ability to invade local tissues and spread to a distant site it becomes much harder to treat. A team of researchers, led by Min Chang and Christopher Williams, at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, has now identified the protein BVES as a suppressor of colorectal cancer progression to this dangerous state, leading them to suggest that BVES could be a therapeutic or preventative target in colorectal cancer.
Cancers originating from cells covering any of the external and internal surfaces of the body (epithelial cells) are known ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Program takes aim at drinking, unsafe sex, and sexual assault on college campuses
Inability to pay for healthcare reaches record high in U.S.
Science ‘storytelling’ urgently needed amid climate and biodiversity crisis
KAIST Develops Retinal Therapy to Restore Lost Vision
Adipocyte-hepatocyte signaling mechanism uncovered in endoplasmic reticulum stress response
Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid
Low LDL cholesterol levels linked to reduced risk of dementia
Thickening of the eye’s retina associated with greater risk and severity of postoperative delirium in older patients
Almost one in ten people surveyed report having been harmed by the NHS in the last three years
Enhancing light control with complex frequency excitations
New research finds novel drug target for acute myeloid leukemia, bringing hope for cancer patients
New insight into factors associated with a common disease among dogs and humans
Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production
New study finds Rocky Mountain snow contamination
Study examines lactation in critically ill patients
UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer West earns AIMBE’s 2025 Pierre Galletti Award
Doubling down on metasurfaces
New Cedars-Sinai study shows how specialized diet can improve gut disorders
Making moves and hitting the breaks: Owl journeys surprise researchers in western Montana
PKU Scientists simulate the origin and evolution of the North Atlantic Oscillation
ICRAFT breakthrough: Unlocking A20’s dual role in cancer immunotherapy
How VR technology is changing the game for Alzheimer’s disease
A borrowed bacterial gene allowed some marine diatoms to live on a seaweed diet
Balance between two competing nerve proteins deters symptoms of autism in mice
Use of antifungals in agriculture may increase resistance in an infectious yeast
Awareness grows of cancer risk from alcohol consumption, survey finds
The experts that can outsmart optical illusions
Pregnancy may reduce long COVID risk
Scientists uncover novel immune mechanism in wheat tandem kinase
Three University of Virginia Engineering faculty elected as AAAS Fellows
[Press-News.org] Dangers of exposure to 'white' lightNew study reveals: 'White' light suppresses the body's production of melatonin -- a compound that adjusts our biological clock and is known for its anti-oxidant and anti-cancerous properties -- more than orange light