248 leading scientists warn of Harmful Health Effects of Blue-Rich LED Light at Night

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Oct 09, 2023, 18:55 ET

Blue Light Awareness Day: Consensus Survey published in Frontiers in Photonics:

Light used in the evening should have as little blue content as practically possible.
LED lights with high 460-495nm blue content should carry the warning label "may be harmful if used at night."

BOSTON, Oct. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Many of the lights sold today are causing major health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and breast cancer. Why? They are blue-enriched LEDs, which play havoc on people's circadian rhythms during the evening hours. On October 10th, Blue Light Awareness Day, the Circadian Light Research Center announces the publication in Frontiers in Photonics of a consensus survey which confirms that human circadian clocks are highly sensitive to blue wavelengths, and insufficient daytime blue-rich light and excessive blue-rich light at night, leads to many health disorders.

Consensus of 248 leading scientists concerning harmful health effects of blue-rich LED light

Lead author Martin Moore-Ede, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Circadian Light Research Center and a former professor at Harvard Medical School, said, "Fewer than 0.5% of lights sold today protect circadian health by altering their blue content across day and night. People should purchase lights for evening and night use that do not contain blue light and use blue-enriched LEDs during daytime only."

248 scientists, with a total of 2,697 peer-reviewed publications on light and circadian clocks since 2008, completed a survey with potential consensus statements. The study Lights Should Support Circadian Rhythms: Evidence-Based Scientific Consensus reports a scientific consensus on:

Robust circadian rhythms are essential for maintaining good health.
Disrupting circadian rhythms can cause ill health.
Light at night causing circadian disruption increases the risk of breast cancer, obesity and diabetes and sleep disorders.
There is now sufficient evidence to support the widespread introduction of circadian lighting that adjusts light intensity and blue content across day and night to maintain robust circadian entrainment and health.

About Martin Moore-Ede M.D., Ph.D. For over 40 years, Dr. Moore-Ede has been a leading expert on circadian clocks and the health problems caused by electric light at night. As a professor at Harvard Medical School (1975 – 1998), he located the biological clock in the human brain. The Circadian Lighting Research Center identified the blue signal that synchronizes circadian clocks and developed patented LED lights, with circadian-optimized light across day and night. He is the author of THE LIGHT DOCTOR on Substack https://thelightdoctor.com.

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SOURCE Circadian Light Research Center