Five Ways Artificial Blue Light Is Not Your Friend

What is blue light?

Blue light is a high-energy visible light with a wave length between 400 and 450 nanometers (nm).

From a natural source, such as the Sun, the shorter, high energy blue wavelengths collide with the air molecules causing blue light to scatter. This is what makes the sky look blue.

Artificial blue light comes from light-emitting diodes (LEDs), often used in energy-efficient light bulbs, as well as the lighting in our electronics, laptops, phones, TVs, tablets – anything powered by electricity likely has blue light.

Artificial blue light is quite different from blue light received from a natural source (like the Sun) as part of a balanced light spectrum. Although an LED bulb and an incandescent lamp might both be rated at the same brightness, the light energy from the LED might come from a source the size of the head of a pin compared to the significantly larger surface of the incandescent source. Looking directly at the point of the LED is dangerous for the very same reason it is unwise to look directly at the sun in the sky.

Sources of Blue Light Exposure

Most of us are exposed to much more blue light that we realize. Sources include:

• Sunlight (the biggest source)

• Electronics like TVs, phones, tablets and computers

• Light bulbs and other sources of artificial lighting: fluorescent light, compact fluorescent light bulbs and LED light (LED bulbs are especially harmful)

Blue light at night messes up your circadian rhythm

Research has demonstrated that nighttime light exposure suppresses the production of melatonin, the major hormone secreted by the pineal gland that controls sleep and wake cycles. 

Do you remember when nighttime lights were a cosy hue of amber and orange?

Until 1879 when Thomas Edison patented the electric lightbulb, artificial lighting didn’t exist and after sunset, people relied on candles, lanterns, and fires for light. Blue wavelengths of light that are absent in light sources like candles, lanterns, and fires.

Today’s new lighting tech in LEDs have almost nothing BUT blue wavelengths of light. In many countries, night street lights that were once orange-coloured emissions from older sodium lights are rapidly being replaced by white-coloured emissions produced by LEDs.

Local LED street lighting has dramatically reduced even nocturnal insect populations.

The lower your melatonin levels, the greater your risks of cancer.

Blue light at night ruins your sleep

30,000+ cells in the eye sense blue light and these cells signal the pineal gland to suppress the secretion of the hormone melatonin. Melatonin is necessary for sleep, and when it is suppressed at night, when it should be increasing, it literally affects yoru sleep quality.

Light at night is part of the reason so many people don’t get enough sleep,

blue light can cause immune issues

A study found a direct link between blue light exposure and an increased risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer. People exposed to high levels of outdoor blue light, like street lights, at night had a higher risk of developing breast cancer and prostate cancer, compared with those who were less exposed.

Blue light can cause diabetes

A Harvard study looked at the connection of blue light at night to diabetes and possibly obesity. The researchers put 10 people on a schedule that gradually shifted the timing of their circadian rhythms. Their blood sugar levels increased, throwing them into a prediabetic state, and levels of leptin, a hormone that leaves people feeling full after a meal, went down.

Quality light is life

The light you live in is directly related to your quality of life.

that light and sleep are two of the most under-used tools for improving health (and that improper management of both are two of the biggest reasons for many health problems)

References & Resources

1. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/14/increase-in-led-lighting-risks-harming-human-and-animal-health

2. Towns and cities reversing their decision on LEDs to mitigate the harmful impacts on health and ecology https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/19/good-heavens-north-yorkshire-village-hawnby-switches-to-dark-sky-friendly-lighting

3. 10 ways to protect yourself from blue-light exposure and melatonin suppression

Blue Light Can Shorten Your Lifespan and Harm Your Brain

Blue light can cut your lifespan. We already know too much blue light from too much screen use has been linked to mitochondrial issues such as obesity and psychological problems. But did you know blue light can cut your lifespan short? 

What Is Blue Light?

Blue light is very high-energy short-wave light. Vibrating within the 380 to 500 nanometer range, it has the shortest wavelength and highest energy.

In Nature, the only source of blue light is from the Sun, but it always comes balanced with other colour spectrums. So is any blue light coming from traditional heat based lights. 

Artificially, however, fluorescent bulbs and LEDs, mobile phones, computer screens, and flat screen televisions emit high amounts of blue light. 

Check out the colour spectrum from the Sun — it offers the full spectrum of colours of the rainbow. Heat-based light bulbs provide a warm glow with relatively balanced light and almost no blue light. See the colour spectrum from a standard LED. It is practical nothing but blue light.

The image shows comparative spectra for different types of light.

Blue Light Accelerates the Biological Aging Process in Fruit Flies

A problem with LEDs and many of the screens and devices we are surrounded by is that they have a blue spike. I've read various articles on the biological effects of too much isolated blue light on people

One huge study discovered how blue light emitted by phones, tablets, televisions, and other gadgets can substantially accelerate the biological aging process in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). 

They found specific metabolites (cell essential chemicals) become altered in the cells of fruit flies exposed to blue light. 

One metabolite they found was that the levels of the metabolite succinate were increased, but glutamate levels were lowered:

“Succinate is essential for producing the fuel for the function and growth of each cell. High levels of succinate after exposure to blue light can be compared to gas being in the pump but not getting into the car,“ said Giebultowicz. “Another troubling discovery was that molecules responsible for communication between neurons, such as glutamate, are at the lower level after blue light exposure.“

These specific metabolites – essential chemicals for cells to work correctly – have the same function in humans, so if you are looking at good anti-aging strategies, avoiding excessive blue light exposure is a simple but powerful idea. 

Artificial Blue Light Is Detrimental to Cell Function

Blue light given off over long periods at short distances from electronic screens could meddle with normal cellular processes and disrupt our natural circadian rhythms.

Blue light from everyday devices, such as TVs, laptops and phones, has been observed to produce detrimental effects on practically every type of cell in our body, from skin and fat cells, to sensory neurons. 

These days you’ll notice plenty of skincare companies claiming their products can protect you from the effects of blue light. They probably don’t; blue light can activate genes associated with inflammation and photoaging (skin damage) and typical sunscreens do not block high-energy blue and visible light damage.

Most of Us Are Living in a Pervasive Blue Light Environment

If you’re not using your devices much and spending most of your time outdoors, where your cells are synced with the natural circadian rhythms of the Sun, you probably don’t have much to worry about in terms of whether your lifespan is getting cut shorter and shorter.

But if you’re like most folk, you’re living and working under LEDs, using screen devices, and spending most of your time indoors. Screens are everywhere, and people worldwide already spend an average of 6 hours and 37 minutes looking at them daily.

(Note that this is far more than the 2 hours limit recommended by The recommended screen time worldwide is 2 hours a day for adults and children.

80% of American adults who use digital devices do so more than two hours per day (according to the Vision Council). Nearly 67% use two or more devices at the same time. Fifty-nine percent have symptoms of digital eye strain, which is a marker for high oxidative stress in your retinal cells.

If you hadn't thought about blue light and its effect on your life before, perhaps now you can picture how living under the wrong type of light can literally cut your lifespan short.

What Makes a Safe Light Bulb – The Definitive Guide

Have you ever thought about whether your light bulbs are safe or giving off EMF radiation?

Newer light bulbs that have been developed to be more energy efficient, are actually some of the worst offenders.

Lighting are a big part of indoor spaces, and probably one of the biggest investments you can when you are renovate or making a brand new home. It takes time, energy, and money to decide exactly how you light up your indoor space — and it creates the light environment that you’re going to live in day after day.

Because you turn these on at night, extending your “daylight” hours, the type of light bulb you choose to fit your home in determines the quality of your environment.

Brief history of light bulbs

Thomas Edison is credited with inventing the first light bulb in 1878. They relied on the heat generated by a tungsten wire contained in a glass bulb and were called incandescent light bulbs. They are simple, and also generated heat, which can be useful in cooler climates.

As energy-efficiency considerations arose, however, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognised that energy efficient alternatives needed to be made readily available and become the new standard for Americans. It, along with other governments, looked for ways to reduce energy use en masse.

The aim was to accelerate America’s shift from inefficient, dated lighting products to innovative, high-performance products that can save American consumers and business owners money.[r]

On 3 August 2011, the DOE officially announced Philips Electronics North America as the first winner of the L Prize competition with an LED replacement for the 60-watt incandescent bulb.

The $10 million U.S. government prize marked the first government-sponsored technology competition designed to challenge lighting manufacturers to develop high-quality, ultra-efficient solid-state lighting products to replace the common light bulb with energy-saving lighting alternatives.

Philips turned out to be the only official entrant in the competition and the LED bulb retails at $40, far more than people are used to paying for a light bulb. Government support would be crucial to help the LED be competitive in the market. [r]

So this was a big deal. With the backing of government policies and commitment by other governments in the world, traditional light bulbs began to be replaced by a new technology — the light-emitting diode, or LED.

The LED light bulb

the increasingly popular LED bulbs. LED or Light-Emitting Diode bulbs rely on (you guessed it) a diode to produce light. The diode controls the direction of the energy flow. They are illuminated solely by the movement of electrons within a semiconductor material.

An LED contains blue light, a driver, and a fluorescent sheet that covers the blue light by extending the wavelengths producing a more yellowish or orange light. In this way, it is similar to a type of fluorescent light; it can fool your brain into thinking it is a more natural light but does not protect you from the dangers of blue light exposure, especially at night.

There are two primary dangers when it comes to LED light bulbs:

• Exposure to blue light

• Creation of drty electricity (a form of negative EMF) and electromagnetic radiation

The health impact of LEDs

However, research around the health impact of a new lighting technology emerged.

blue light from sources like your phone, laptop, and LED bulbs suppresses melatonin production, the hormone responsible for regulating quality sleep and wakefulness.

Blue light can also induce headaches and migraines, worsening any pain symptoms that you have. It results in eye pain and fatigue, which was commonly called in the 1980s and 1990s as “computer vision syndrome”.

There are countless clinical studies that support the harmful effects of blue light especially for people who prone to headaches or migraine attacks. Researchers have suggested that there is a specific neural pathway from the eyes to the brain—separate from how vision is transmitted—that ultimately causes blue light wavelengths to worsen headache pain and other symptoms.

Some researchers suggest it is the specific wavelength, in and around 480nm, that leads to high discomfort. It creates a pain perception and even enhanced spreading of headache pain across the brain.

Finally, blue light from LEDs can damage your retina.

If you want to learn much more about blue light toxicity, check out these articles:

• Are you living in junk light?

• Study shows light at night increases your risk of type 2 diabetes

• Blue light can cause precocious puberty

CFL Light Bulbs

As mentioned, LEDs are similar to CFL or Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs.

These are even more dangerous, probably the least safe light bulb on the market today. This is because the CFL use an electric current driven through a tube typically containing mercury vapor.

ALL fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury vapor, which emits a lot of UV rays when hit with an electric current. Increased absorption of such UV radiation from CFLs has been linked to a variety of health effects and skin disorders.

One key study showing this direct cause is from 2012 study. Researchers from the State University of New York at Stony Brook showed in a paper that tiny defects in the bulbs can let through UV light that can damage skin cells and lead to cancer. Not one CFL bulb they studied did not have any cracks or defects in the phospor coatings. This meant the bulbs emitted very significant levels of UVC and UVA.

The energy efficient compact fluorescent lights that are commercially available generate radio frequency radiation and ultraviolet radiation, they contain mercury—a known neurotoxin, and they are making some people ill. Instead of promoting these light bulbs governments around the world should be insisting that manufacturers produce light bulbs that are electromagnetically clean and contain no toxic chemicals. — Dr Magda Havas, an expert of EMF radiation, www.weepinitiative.org/LINKEDDOCS/scientific/08_Havas_CFL_SCENIHR.pdf

Last but not least, CFLS produce dirty electricity in your whole-house circuits. Just like LED bulbs, the circuits are not equipped to handle the demand of CFLs, which leads to dirty electricity. This dirty electricity builds up in the wiring of our home flooding it with EMF radiation.

Many people still purchase CFL bulbs for the same reason of energy efficiency and cost. CFL bulbs can provide the same amount of lumens as incandescent light bulbs, using about one quarter of the energy.

incandescent light bulb

To appreciate the difference in lighting, let’s go back to understand what was traditionally used.

60-watt incandescent light bulb is one of the most widely used types of light bulbs by consumers, representing approximately 50% of the domestic incandescent light bulb market.

Although incandescents may not be the most energy-efficient, the safest available lightbulb is the traditional incandescent.

halogen light bulbs

A halogen light bulb is a type of incandescent lamp which uses a halogen gas in order to increase both light output and rated life. These are popular for its moderately high efficiency, quality of light, and high rated life compared to regular incandescent lamps.

How Can You choose the safest light bulb?

Light bulbs are not as innocuous as you might think.

If you have to be indoors and needing light, you don’t want to remain the in dark and shun all lighting sources, including light bulbs, because that can have physical and emotional consequences too.

So what are your options? Try this quick checklist to choose the safest and best light bulb you can and minimize the damaging effects of bad lighting:

• Buy and use traditional incandescent or halogen bulbs. These use traditional heat source to produce a natural warm glow of light.

• If you choose LEDs, choose a warmer-coloured LED bulb. LED-makers are realising the health impacts of too-blue LEDs and racing to come up with warmer-looking alternatives.

• If you have LEDs at home, install them in low-traffic zones. This means you reduce your exposure to toxic LED light, such as walkways, instead of overhead in bedrooms or where you work.

• In high-traffic zones and for light-sensitive tasks (such as sleep), use incandescent or halogen light bulbs. They may not be the most energy efficient, but they will help to reduce the amount of EMF radiation emitted in the spaces that you occupy.     

• Try "blue blocker" or blue-light filtering glasses, but don’t settle for cheap knock offs. TheraSpecs are a great brand, particularly if you already have migraine or another light-sensitive condition.

• Use "night mode" or similar apps that are native settings on your phone and your computer. This can warm the lighting on your device and make it easier on the eyes.

• Turn your phone or computer off at least 2-3 hours before you go to bed.

• Change your light bulbs to warmer tones and colors. Opt for more natural light if possible and avoid/remove fluorescents, if appropriate.

• Give your eyes a break. Look away from your screen at least once every 20 minutes to let your eyes reset. And don’t forget to blink!

• If you must work under an LED, position your desk so that you are next to an open window (at least a crack) and your body can receive full-spectrum light energy. And you can take eye breaks looking out an open window. This is a building biology hack!

References:

1. https://cleantechnica.com/2011/08/04/philips-wins-prestigious-department-of-energy-l-prize/

2. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/110803-philips-led-light-bulb-wins-l-prize

3. Tiny defects in CFL light bulbs can let through UV light that can damage skin cells and lead to cancer. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1751-1097.2012.01192.x
   

17+ Simple Ways to Reduce Home EMF Exposure -- Easy DIY

In our digital, tech-savvy world, electromagnetic frequency (EMF) are the fastest growing environmental toxin. Due to the exponential increase in the use of wireless personal communication devices (eg, mobile or cordless phones and WiFi or Bluetooth-enabled devices) as well as the infrastructure built around us to accommodate it.

We know that lead, air pollution, and other toxic chemicals can damage our health and, while it is gaining momentum, more people are realising the harm EMFs can do. Studies show that wireless and EMF radiation can synergistically increase the effect of these daily toxic exposures because of the ways in which wireless radiation alters the body’s natural functioning.1

What Are EMFs?

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are energy fields that surround electrically charged objects and are generated by various sources, such as power lines, electronics, and wireless devices. Exposure to EMFs has been associated with potential health issues such as cancer and reproductive problems. With mobile technology in every aspect of life, including in-school learning, we’re are bombarded by EMFs on a daily basis.

Are you feeling EMF sensitivity? Click here to read about the different types of EMFs and how you may be exposed to them.

How to Minimize Home EMF Exposure (17+ suggestions)

If you’re wondering where to start in this process, below is my personal list of EMF minimizing strategies to consider. I started developing this list with my first child and am constantly adding to it as I find new and fast ways to do the lifestyle hack.

1. Always turn WIFI off at night — you can use an auto-timer.  Keep it away from bedrooms and anywhere near where you spend time in. This is a simple way to reduce your exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) for the crucial hours of rest while you sleep. Better yet, switch back to wired connections.  Before you think you need to open up walls to do this, check out my guide.

2. Deactivate Bluetooth & AirDrop on ALL your devices to decrease the continuous transmission of wireless signals. Many other devices, even air purifiers and refrigerators, that connect to the “Internet of things” and can be wirelessly operated. You don’t need to be in a “surround sound” of wireless radiation all day.

3. Toss the microwave. Avoid using it.

4. Use an electric stove and avoid induction ovens, which emit a large EMF field. The metal cookware itself becomes magnetized, a small amount of current passes from the cookware into your body when you touch the pan.

5. Check if you are using Smart Appliances - TVs, Washing Machines, Air Filters, Fridges, etc. Opt for brands that allow you to disable WiFi.   

6. Replace all dimmer switches in your home with simple on/off switches. Dimmer switches are notorious for producing dirty electricity! This includes ceiling fans. Use the manual switches or chains to adjust the speed level, not dimmer switches.

7. Replace all LED and fluorescent light bulbs (including CFLs) in your home. These types of bulbs emit a large EMF field compared with simple incandescent light bulbs that have none. Go for traditional bulbs such as halogen or incandescent bulbs. If you use a few battery backup LED bulbs around your home for power outages, minimize them as much as possible.

8. Never sleep your phone near your bed, and especially near your head. If you must use it as an alarm clock, put it on airplane mode and place it 5 feet or more from the mattress before turning in.

9. Never use an electric blanket while you sleep. Avoid using an electric heating pad for pain too if at all possible. Use a hot water bottle instead.

10. Choose only wired baby monitors, if you use them. Not many low-EMF versions out there.  Minimize use if at all.  Keep monitors a safe distance away from babies and mothers. Test with with an EMF meter to determine this.

11. Put a barrier between your body and your laptop.

    Keep your laptop away from your lap to reduce direct body contact and exposure to EMFs. If you must, use an EMF blocking pad underneath.

12. Do not carry a cell phone in a pocket of your clothing (this means it’s right against your body) or even your handbag while it is turned on. Did you know that every cellphone comes with a warning about keeping the phone too close to your body? (The iPhone 5 manual says users should keep the phone 10 millimeters away from your ear!) Use an EMF blocking phone case or privacy pouch instead. These KRIA pouches are both beautiful and effective.

13. Reduce hair dryer use.

    Did you know that a hair dryer can emit roughly 40 milligauss to 20,000 milligauss in EMFs? To put this in context, a microwave emits 100-500 milligauss, so using them less frequently can greatly decrease your overall exposure.

14. Avoid Smart Meters.

    Make sure your home does not use a Smart Meter or Smart Water Meter. Call your local power and water company and find out if you have already gotten one and if so, make sure to opt-out and go back to the analog meters. It costs a bit more per month, but it is worth it. If you do not have an option to get rid of your Smart Meter, make or buy an EMF blocking cover for it. Locate beds at least 10 feet away from Smart Meters. 

15. Create a safe sanctuary spot.

    Pick one spot or area in your home that you want to make a total sanctuary, and make sure it checks all the tips on this list. The bedroom is important. It could be where you breastfeed your baby or where you spend much time at work. The single most important space we need to make into an EMF sanctuary is our bedroom - the space where we spend at least a third of our lives.

16. Avoid having any metal in your mouth and body.

    This includes metal braces, permanent wire retainers, titanium implants and silver fillings. Any type of metal in your mouth concentrates EMFs toward your head essentially making it an antenna.

17. Place plugs 6-8 feet away from your bed.

    This is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Try unplugging as many things as you can at night. Power strips can be great for this.

18. Invest in an EMF meter — an affordable consumer meter is a proactive way to measure and monitor EMFs in your environment.

    You can quantify the levels of EMFs emitted by appliances, electronics, or power lines that you may be unawares of. Even if they’re not 100% (variability depends on the sensitivity of the meter). they can help you identify areas with higher EMF concentrations and take steps to reduce potential health risks.

Are you sensitive to EMFs? Do you do anything to reduce your and your family’s EMF exposure?

Even as awareness is growing, 5G is getting rolled out quickly in urban areas. Protecting yourself from this technology takes a bit of planning. Get in touch to find out more about how you can protect yourself at home.