Blue Light From Screens is Toxic to Eyes Warns French Health Agency
5/14/2019 The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) has issued a new report reviewing the scientific evidence on health impacts including vision loss and damaged sleep from the blue light emitted from LED lights and the screens of cell phones, laptops and digital devices.
“The new scientific data confirm the 2010 result regarding the toxicity of blue light to the eye, which can lead to failing eyesight. They show short-term phototoxic effects associated with acute exposure and long-term effects associated with chronic exposure, which increase the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.”
The report states that current ICNIRP optical radiation limits are non protective in regards to these impacts and cites research linking blue light exposure to damage to the retina of the eye and the disturbance of sleep rhythms. ANSES also highlights that children are an especially vulnerable population as their eyes are still maturing and are unable to filter the blue light out as much as adults. ANSES posits this could lead to an increased risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) after chronic exposure to blue light. AMD is a leading cause of severe vision loss in adults over age 50.
The ANSES expert appraisal shows that even very low levels of exposure to blue light in the evening or at night disrupts biological rhythms and therefore sleep. The Agency recommends limiting the use of LED devices with the highest blue-light content, especially for children and pregnant women, and reducing light pollution as much as possible to preserve the environment and protect the public.
Excerpts from the Report include:
“The Agency confirms the toxicity of blue light on the retina and highlights the biological rhythm and sleep disruption associated with exposure to blue light in the evening or at night, particularly via screens and especially for children.”
“The amount of light received by the retina in the blue band can be large and have phototoxic effects on the eye and a disruptive effect on biological rhythms.”
“Most of the available scientific studies show that blue light alters sleep regulation via circadian disruptions. The evidence provided by studies undertaken in humans is sufficient to conclude that exposure to blue-rich light during the evening has a proven effect on sleep onset latency and the duration and quality of sleep.”
ANSES recommendations to limit the population’s exposure to blue light.
The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety Report Links
Additional Resources
NIH: Artificial light during sleep linked to obesity
Environmental Health Perspectives: LIGHT POLLUTION: Light at Night and Breast Cancer Risk Worldwide
Outdoor Light at Night and Breast Cancer Incidence in the Nurses’ Health Study II
https://ehtrust.org/blue-light-from-screens-is-toxic-to-eyes-warns-french-health-agency/
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