Light Pollution and Circadian Misalignment: A Healthy, Blue-Free, White Light-Emitting Diode to Avoid Chronodisruption

Abstract

Sunlight has participated in the development of all life forms on Earth. The micro-world and the daily rhythms of plants and animals are strongly regulated by the light–dark rhythm. Human beings have followed this pattern for thousands of years. The discovery and development of artificial light sources eliminated the workings of this physiological clock. The world’s current external environment is full of light pollution. In many electrical light bulbs used today and considered “environmentally friendly,” such as LED devices, electrical energy is converted into short-wavelength illumination that we have not experienced in the past. Such illumination effectively becomes “biological light pollution” and disrupts our pineal melatonin production. The suppression of melatonin at night alters our circadian rhythms (biological rhythms with a periodicity of 24 h). This alteration is known as chronodisruption and is associated with numerous diseases. In this article, we present a blue-free WLED (white light-emitting diode) that can avoid chronodisruption and preserve circadian rhythms. This WLED also maintains the spectral quality of light measured through parameters such as CRI (color reproduction index).

Artificial light and neurodegeneration: does light pollution impact the development of Alzheimer’s disease?

“…The development of artificial light sources disrupted the functioning of the inner clock. As a result, one of the most severe environmental threats may be light pollution, which could lead to chronic circadian desynchrony [ 8 , 20 ].…”

A Novel Photopharmacological Tool: Dual-Step Luminescence for Biological Tissue Penetration of Light and the Selective Activation of Photodrugs

“…Once inside, the light can be spectrally converted to specific wavelengths in the UV-visible range for the activation of specific photodrugs. Spectral conversion techniques have already found applications in fields such as photovoltaics [35][36][37][38][39], LED lighting [40][41][42], greenhouses [43,44], ophthalmology [45], anti-counterfeiting [46][47][48], etc. The photopharmacology sector could also benefit from these spectral conversion techniques.…”

The Effects of Light and the Circadian System on Rhythmic Brain Function

“…Especially excessive artificial light at night, e.g., in shift work, during repeated transmeridian travel, or from the use of illuminated electronic devices, such as mobile phones, televisions, and personal computers disrupts circadian rhythms and suppresses the production of melatonin, both these changes are light intensity and wavelength dependent [ 172 ]. In recent years, significant technical advances have been made in developing blue-free white light-emitting diodes [ 173 ], or blue light filters, such as in the night-shift mode of smartphones, that can help to prevent chronodisruption and to preserve rhythmic melatonin production. Chronodisruption is associated with higher risk for brain dysfunction, such as sleep disturbances, impaired alertness, and depression (reviewed in [ 174 ]), and impairs brain plasticity.…”