Washington Post: Lights at Night Are Linked to Breast Cancer
Posted by: selene on 02/25/2008 09:05 AM
Updated by: selene on 02/25/2008 09:08 AM
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Expires: 01/01/2013 12:00 AM
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According to a story by Rick Weiss in the Feb 20th issue of the Washington Post, a new study supports previous findings that exposure to light at night is a risk factor for breast cancer. "[Researchers] found the breast cancer rate in localities with average night lighting to be 37 percent higher than in communities with the lowest amount of light; and they noted that the rate was higher by an additional 27 percent in areas with the highest amount of light."
According to the article, Abraham Haim, a researcher on the study, worries about the recent push to switch to energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs. According to Haim, fluorescent light suppress melatonin production more than conventional bulbs. He is calling for greater emphasis on using less light at night rather than replacing incandescent with fluorescent.
Read the Washington Post article
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