A few years ago I corresponded with one of the researchers in the field, who said that at a European scientific conference on the subject they were already seeing industry PR people there to deny any possible problem with the blue-white LEDs their companies were pushing as “so cheap they pay for themselves in saved electricity costs” —- too cheap to meter, basically.
This is the main reason I want most of my flashlights in 2000K or below. Blue light affects my sleep at night, so keeping my flashlights at 2000K won’t give me any melatonin suppression. All my lights in the house are halogen and i cover up all sources of LEDs with red or black tape. 2000K is a little spooky sometimes though since the color temp looks like a candle flame, so i have a bunch of 2700K flashlights on hand too… just an excuse for more flashlights.
This light is claimed to be for medical purposes. It says, it contains very little of blue wavelength. I wonder how true is it and what the led sits inside…
Having an association does not mean that it causes cancer. What’s more likely (and again, I’m speculating) is that people exposed to more blue light have habits and lifestyles that make them more likely to get cancer. Considering the prostate is not even exposed to light, I would guess that this is the more likely scenario.
Yes, this is a known effect which is measured and light sources can be ranked by impact on ipRGC (melanopic function).
See below a list of light sources with different CCT, blue %age and their relative melanopic potential :
The article spells out very clearly that its reduced melatonin (and possible other changes in hormones due to that) which is directly causally linked to blue light exposure, this then increases risks of hormone-related cancers.
If you are really concerned about reduced melatonin levels, melatonin supplements are pretty cheap and definitely help one sleep at night. 1-2mg for a night or two does the trick for me, and gets me back on normal sleep patterns for several days/weeks.
IMO the key here is keeping a regular sleep pattern. day in and day out, weekdays, weekends.
I wonder what other lifestyle factors are associated with the people who live in these areas, and how that affects their melatonin production and circadian rhythm?
Don’t think that just switching from a high temperature to low temperature light in your house is going to protect you. Perhaps that’s a good thing to do, but life’s much more complex than just what color light you are exposed to at night.
Sleep normal hours. Keep your room dark. Wind down before bed. If you’re a male, and if you live long enough, you’ll probably get prostate cancer anyway. My dad fell asleep in front of the TV for years and years. Prostate cancer finally killed him at age 86.
I honestly have no earthly idea my friend, I was just looking at that chart. Personally, I am not worried about it enough to change whatever CCT light I happen to be using.
But…… I do totally agree with what sbslider said in POST #44 :+1: