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(meteorobs) OT----SCIENCE NEWS "Does Light Have a Dark Side?
I know this is somewhat off topic; but Light Pollution is critical to our
effectiveness as meteor observers, so here goes.....
THIS IS THE COVER ARTICLE!
"NIGHT LIGHTS AND CANCER"
"Nighttime illumination might elevate cancer risk"
I just have to quote a little from the article...
"Since life began, one pattern has dominated the Earth's natural
environment-- a daily rhythm of intense sunlight alternating with nights of
near total darkness."
Ooooh, that sounds soooo nice :->
"Humans, the grand manipulators, have not been content to cede control of
their activity cycle to the heavens, however....Thanks to widespread
electrification, and color-corrected, high watt lightbulbs, synthetic
sunlight can now bombard city dwellers around the clock,"
"This attempt to erase the night <snip> may come with a price. At a
minimum, it can lead to chronic lack of sleep, diminishing the
effectiveness of the immune system. Some new studies, however, suggest the
possibility of an even more worrisome threat."
I'm on the way to work, so have just blast read the article, but the gist
is that light at night may alter production of meletonin, causing increased
incdence of estrogen related cancers, as well as promoting the growth of
other cancers.
Here's another great quote
"According to neuroendocrinologist Rusel J Reiter of the U of Texas Health
Science Center at San Antonio, the emerging science indicates that,
functionally, "light is a drug"- and that by "abusing it, we risk
imperiling our health""
I'm getting woozy from all this stuff :->
Anyway, here is info
SCIENCE NEWS VOL 154 Number 16 Oct 17 1998..pp 248-250
Now, before I send this, let me see if there is something on their web site
Yes there is. URL is:
<www.sciencnews.org>
BTW, here are the references provided on the web page for this article
References:
Baldwin, W.S., and C. Barrett. 1998. Melatonin: Receptor-mediated events
that may affect breast and other steroid hormone-dependent cancers.
Molecular Carcinogenesis 21(March):149.
Dauchy, R.T. . . . D.E. Blask, et al. 1997. Light contamination during the
dark phase in "photoperiodically controlled" animal rooms: Effect on tumor
growth and metabolism in rats. Laboratory Animal Science 47(October):511.
Feychting, M., B. Osterlund, and A. Ahlbom. 1998. Reduced cancer incidence
among the blind. Epidemiology(September):490.
Hahn, R.A. 1998. Does blindness protect against cancers? Epidemiology
9(September).
______. 1991. Profound bilateral blindness and the incidence of breast
cancer. Epidemiology 2(May):208.
Lockley, S.W., et al. 1997. Relationship between melatonin rhythms and
visual loss in the blind. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
82(November):3763.
Further Readings:
1995. Hormones help elderly sleep. Science News 148(Sept. 9):175.
Brainard, G.C., et al. 1988. Dose-response relationship between light
irradiance and the suppression of plasma melatonin in human volunteers.
Brain Research 454:212.
Coleman, M.P., and R.J. Reiter. 1992. Breast cancer, blindness and
melatonin. European Journal of Cancer 28:501.
Lewy, A.J., et al. 1980. Light suppresses melatonin secretion in humans.
Science 210(Dec. 12):1267.
Raloff, J. 1998. EMF's biological influences. Science News 153(Jan. 10):29.
______. 1996. Eyes possess their own biological clock. Science News
149(April 20):245.
______. 1995. Drug of darkness. Science News 147(May 13):300.
______. 1993. EcoCancers. Science News 144(July 3):10.
Ruberg, F.L. . . . G.C. Brainard. 1996. Melatonin regulation in humans with
color vision deficiencies. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
81(August):2980.
Weiss, R. 1989. Recent awakenings in melatonin research. Science News
136(Nov. 11):317.
The National Science Foundation Center for Biological Timing Home Page is
available at http://www.cbt.virginiadot edu/index.html.
Sources:
J. Carl Barrett
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis
P.O. Box 12233
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
George C. Brainard
Thomas Jefferson University
Neurology Department
Jefferson Medical College
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Maria Feychting
Institute of Environmental Medicine
Box 210
S-171 77 Stockholm
Sweden
Eero Pukkala
Institute for Statistical and Epidemiological Cancer Research
Finnish Cancer Registry
Liisankatu 21 B
FIN-00170 Helsinki
Finland
Russel J. Reiter
University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio
Department of Cellular and Structural Biology
7703 Floyd Curl Drive
San Antonio, TX 78284-7762
Richard Stevens
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Richland, WA 99352
From Science News, Vol. 154, No. 16, October 17, 1998, p. 252.
Copyright O 1998 by Science Service.