Artificial light could contribute to breast cancer
Story By: Bea Karnes
Source: NBC
Women who are exposed to a lot of artificial light at night may be at a higher risk for breast cancer. New research from Israel used satellite images from NASA to show areas that emitted more light at night and then compared them to breast cancer statistics from those areas. The breast cancer rates in areas with the most light emitted at night were at much as 60 percent higher than in the darkest areas.
Experts say the body needs darkness in order to produce melatonin, a hormone which appears to offer protection against cancer cells. Exposure to light, especially light in the blue part of the spectrum emitted from computer screens and fluorescent bulbs, turns off production of melatonin.
The study was led by researchers at the University of Haifa in Israel and published in the journal Chronobiology International.
