Press Release

Lighting and Human Health

By SpaceRef Editor

October 31, 2002

Filed under International Dark-Sky Association, US

Top researchers and practitioners in the fields of lighting and medicine
will come together from around the world next week to explore the effects
of light on human health and well being. They will address new medical and
environmental applications of light including:

Using light to treat mental disorders and Alzheimer’s
Therapeutic lighting
Human Circadian Rhythms (shift workers, jet lag, etc.)
Light and the Aging Eye
The Hazards of UV

Members of the working press (representing bona fide news media) and
freelance science writers will be admitted upon presenting their
credentials at the meeting registration desks. (Credentials include: a
press card, business card, or letter of introduction from an editor of the
publication, a current membership card from NASW, a regional affiliate of
NASW, CSWA, SEJ, or ISWA, or evidence of bylined work pertaining to science
intended for the general public and published in 2001 or 2002.)

“This will be a unique opportunity for both the medical and lighting
communities to exchange information and discover how best to apply what the
research is telling us to practical lighting situations,” says Terry
McGowan, Executive Director of the Lighting Research Office (LRO). This is
the LRO’s fifth lighting research symposium, but the first one to examine
the potential environmental health effects of light on human beings.

The symposium will be held November 3-5 at the Grosvenor Resort in Orlando,
Florida, U.S.A.. The resort is located at 1850 Hotel Plaza Boulevard in
Lake Buena Vista, Florida. More information on the symposium can be found at:
http://www.lightingresearchoffice.org/5th%20Symposium.htm

An open meeting of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) will follow
the symposium on November 7th from 3-6 pm at the same venue. A panel
discussion covering “Any and All About Lighting, Dark Skies, and the
Environment” will include experts from the previous days’ symposium along
with members and staff of the IDA. Press and the public are welcome.

Awareness of the adverse affects of light pollution has risen dramatically
in recent years including the potential impact on human
health. Communities worldwide are adopting better lighting practices that
minimize glare to improve visibility, safety, and security, conserve
energy, and protect our nighttime environment. The panel discussion will
cover the broad aspects of light pollution, including summaries from the
Light and Human Health symposium, and responses worldwide.

Founded in 1988, the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is a
non-profit, education and research organization with about 10,000 members
in 70 countries and in all 50 states in the U.S.A.. Its diverse membership
includes about 450 organizational members, lighting engineers and
manufacturers, professional and amateur astronomers, security personnel,
public representatives, municipalities, business owners, and
environmentalists. The IDA’s goal is to preserve and protect the nighttime
environment and our heritage of dark skies through quality outdoor
lighting. More information can be found at http://www.darksky.org

The Lighting Research Office (LRO), an Electric Power Research Institute
(EPRI) Center of Excellence, builds knowledge about light’s effect on
health, human performance, and productivity and transfers this knowledge to
encourage the development of efficient and effective lighting. LRO
maintains its independence through voluntary outside funding and control of
its research agenda. More information can be found at
http://www.lightingresearchoffice.org

Sponsors of the symposium are: