Impact of Light Pollution on Fetal Health

Light pollution is considered an ongoing worldwide problem. Scientists examined the impact of light pollution on fetal health based on a direct measure of skyglow (an important aspect of light pollution). This study was the first study of its kind. //

Using Walker's Law (an empirical regularity in physics), the research team found links between light pollution and reduced birth weight, shortened gestational length, and preterm births.

Nighttime brightness refers to seeing only around one-fourth to one-third of the stars that are visible in the natural unpolluted sky at night. Findings show that increased nighttime brightness can increase the likelihood of preterm birth by 1.48 percentage points (or 12.9%).

Muzhe Yang, co-author, states that a possible explanation for the findings could be a biological mechanism called light-pollution-induced circadian rhythm disruption. Circadian rhythm disruption can cause sleep disorders that can lead to adverse birth outcomes, she says.

Yang explains that while greater use of artificial light at night (ALAN) is often associated with greater economic prosperity, this study highlights an often neglected health benefit of 'darkness.'

ALAN can disrupt a human body's circadian rhythm and act as a ‘pollutant.’ The societal benefits of ALAN may be offset by its negative outcomes such as adverse health effects, the authors explain.

She adds "We must realize that the biological clock (i.e., the circadian rhythm) of a human body, like all lives on the earth, needs the 'darkness' as part of the light-dark cycle, to regulate physiological functions, such as sleep effectively."

Source-Medindia