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Study: Light from energy saving LED’s may be giving us cancer
WUWT ^ | 4/25/2018 | AnthonyvWatts

Posted on 04/25/2018 8:09:04 PM PDT by Signalman

From the “law of unintended consequences” department comes this finding, suggesting that the push for eco-friendly energy savings may be doing more harm to us than good.

Study links night exposure to blue light with breast and prostate cancer

Researchers used images taken by astronauts to evaluate outdoor lighting in Madrid and Barcelona

A study performed by an international team led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the “la Caixa” Foundation, reports a link between exposure to blue light at night and higher risk of developing breast and prostate cancer. Blue light is a range of the visible light spectrum emitted by most white LEDs and many tablet and phone screens. The results have been published in Environmental Health Perspectives.

“WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified night shift work as probably carcinogenic to humans. There is evidence pointing to an association between exposure to artificial light at night, disruption of the circadian rhythm, and breast and prostate cancers. With this study we sought to determine whether night exposure to light in cities can affect the development of these two types of cancer”, explains Manolis Kogevinas, ISGlobal researcher and coordinator of the study. “We know that depending on its intensity and wave length, artificial light, particularly in the blue spectrum, can decrease melatonin production and secretion”, says Martin Aubé, physics professor at CÉGEP in Sherbrooke, Canada and study co-author.

The study was conducted within the framework of the MCC-Spain project cofunded by the ‘Consorcio de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública’ (CIBERESP), and includes medical and epidemiological data of more than 4,000 people between 20 and 85 years of age in 11 Spanish regions. Indoor exposure to artificial light was determined through personal questionnaires, while outdoor levels of artificial light were evaluated for Madrid and Barcelona, based on nocturnal images taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

Results obtained for both cities show that participants exposed to higher levels of blue light had a 1.5 and 2-fold higher risk of developing breast and prostate cancer, respectively, as compared to the less-exposed population.

Ariadna García, ISGlobal researcher and first author of the study, says: “Given the ubiquity of artificial light at night, determining whether it increases or not the risk of cancer is a public health issue”. At this point, further studies should include more individual data using for instance light sensors that allow measuring indoor light levels. It would also be important to do this kind of research in young people that extensively use blue light emitting screens”.

“Currently, the images taken by the astronauts on the Space Station are our only way of determining the colour of outdoor lighting at a large scale, and the spread of blue light-emitting white LEDs in our cities”, comments Alejandro Sánchez de Miguel, scientist at the Astrophysics Institute in Andalucía-CSIC and Exeter University.


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: cancer; led
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To: reasonisfaith

That whole LED thing had the stench of deep state all over it when it first came out.


21 posted on 04/25/2018 9:09:21 PM PDT by reasonisfaith ("...because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." (2 Thessalonians))
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To: Signalman

I have a little, LED night-light. When it is on and the ceiling fan is on I can watch the blades as the LED strobes the blades. I’m assuming that it is strobing at 60 Hertz. I also have to assume that the strobing can harm the eyes but internal organs? Give me a break!


22 posted on 04/25/2018 9:13:25 PM PDT by spel_grammer_an_punct_polise
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To: Signalman

I’m not too hot on prostate cancer, and I still have a lot of incandescent bulbs. They may cost more to operate...but now it seems worth it - I’ll keep using them, probably until I’m gone.


23 posted on 04/25/2018 9:14:44 PM PDT by BobL (I shop at Walmart and eat at McDonald's...I just don't tell anyone)
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To: reasonisfaith

“That whole LED thing had the stench of deep state all over it when it first came out.”

I agree...it was silly when it started and it is still silly. I’ll stick with REAL lighting.;


24 posted on 04/25/2018 9:16:11 PM PDT by BobL (I shop at Walmart and eat at McDonald's...I just don't tell anyone)
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To: neverevergiveup

” I’m quite sure that they weren’t exposed to LED lighting, or processed foods.”

Or SUVs.


25 posted on 04/25/2018 9:16:15 PM PDT by Let's Roll ("You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality" -- Ayn Rand)
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To: Signalman
Everybody is missing the point. it is Sin that causes death.

The bad news:
Death of my body is certain.

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" (Rom 5:12 AV). 

But there is some good news:
Though my body dies, I can get a new body to live in.

"Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 
That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom 5:20,21 AV).

It's fr-r-e-e-e, mon, it's fr-r-e-e-e!

You just have to agree to His terms, that's all. He does the rest!

26 posted on 04/25/2018 9:52:10 PM PDT by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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To: dfwgator; Signalman
Stick with candles.


27 posted on 04/25/2018 9:59:07 PM PDT by BBell (calm down and eat your sandwiches)
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To: Signalman

It’s all that electromagnetic energy that we are emitting. Then there is CO2. Don’t forget GMOs and chem trails. And the UFOs are conspiring with Bigfoot and the Lock Nes Monster.


28 posted on 04/26/2018 12:01:33 AM PDT by jonrick46 (Trump continues to have all the right enemies.)
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To: Signalman

Interesting.

Melatonin is an extremely important hormone in the body. Among its effects is to act as an antioxidant and protect against cancer. Another effect is to regulate the sleep/wake cycle.

So I am not surprised that the reduction in use of friendly warm incandescent bulbs seems to be resulting in higher cancer fates. I wouldn’t be surprised if further research shows other adverse health effects.

Personally, I hate artificial light, especially those bluish light sources. The moment they illuminate, I feel a wave of depression—they really do make me feel horrible. So I have not been very happy with the ill-conceived mandates to phase out incandescent bulbs. And I really do not think that I am the only person who finds bluish light sources depressing.

Hopefully, more studies like this will be forthcoming, with a resulting return to friendlier yellowish light sources. Meanwhile, I will continue to read by the light of my 30-something year old incandescent light bulb that I use daily.


29 posted on 04/26/2018 3:34:20 AM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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To: Signalman

The same blue light is present in SUNLIGHT! are they going to even let their stupid minds think about that? or are they so fixated on finding cancer in man-made things that they can’t think straight?

(yes)


30 posted on 04/26/2018 3:52:12 AM PDT by I want the USA back (The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it. Orwell.)
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To: I want the USA back

I prefer the "warm white" LEDs, which have a lower blue component.

31 posted on 04/26/2018 4:08:59 AM PDT by PapaBear3625 (Big governent is attractive to those who think that THEY will be in control of it.)
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To: BobL

“it was silly when it started and it is still silly. I’ll stick with REAL lighting”

Ditto for the “earth-saving” low-flow toilet.


32 posted on 04/26/2018 4:12:00 AM PDT by MayflowerMadam (Have an A-1 day.)
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To: Rastus

A great episode of “Last Man Standing” was when Tim Allen and his neighbor went underground to the black market to buy incandescent bulbs.


33 posted on 04/26/2018 4:13:56 AM PDT by MayflowerMadam (Have an A-1 day.)
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To: I want the USA back
From what I've heard of it, the issue is that being exposed to blue light in the evening disturbs your sleep cycle (makes your body think it's daytime), and thus messes up your melatonin levels.
34 posted on 04/26/2018 4:14:31 AM PDT by PapaBear3625 (Big governent is attractive to those who think that THEY will be in control of it.)
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To: Signalman
My observation after managing night shift crews for 30 years is that it is working at night the has the most impact, not the type of lighting. Also, there are people that really like to work at night. They tend to have more use of alcohol and tobacco than others. Empirical observation(s).
35 posted on 04/26/2018 4:20:48 AM PDT by mad_as_he$$
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To: mad_as_he$$

I worked in “the unemployment office” for years and years. A lot of people cannot handle third-shift work (overnight). From what I have read and seen, the best approach is to have a stable sleep pattern. But almost all 3rd shift workers I have dealt with switch their schedules to “normal” on weekends and time off. Who wants to be up in the middle of the night on your day off when everybody else is sleeping? I think it’s the constant switching of sleep schedules that causes the problems.
The worst are the employers who require workers to rotate shifts every couple of weeks or even more frequently. I asked one of them why and he said, “Everyone would fight to be on first shift if we didn’t make them rotate.” My idea of paying first shift workers less and third shift workers more did not compute with him.


36 posted on 04/26/2018 4:54:40 AM PDT by Stirner
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To: Signalman

Yawn.


37 posted on 04/26/2018 5:01:14 AM PDT by LouAvul (The most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.)
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To: jimtorr
What could be the link between blue light and an internal organ? Why only at night?

Well, I'm sure that you've heard the old adage: "They're blowing smoke up your @$$"?

This is the updated version: "They're shining a blue light up your @$$"...

38 posted on 04/26/2018 5:03:40 AM PDT by BlueLancer (Come Hell or High Water - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQNUp9rgjNs&feature=youtu.be)
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To: Signalman

Life is dangerous.


39 posted on 04/26/2018 5:05:23 AM PDT by READINABLUESTATE
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To: jimtorr

I posit the true link is that people who work nigh shifts tend to smoke more and engage in other behaviors that others do not, like drinking vodka straight from the bottle.


40 posted on 04/26/2018 6:15:50 AM PDT by T-Bone Texan (Idiocracy is here, and it votes democrat.)
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