Light + Health

  New research indicates that light therapy can reset circadian rhythms in long-COVID patients, significantly improving sleep and overall quality of life. Unexpected improvements in depression, anxiety, and brain fog also resulted from the light therapy. The study was published by Willis, G.L., Endo, T. & Sakoda, S. Circadian re-set repairs long-COVID in a prodromal Parkinson’s [...]

The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Energy Efficient End-Use Equipment (4E) Platform on Smart Sustainability in Lighting and Controls (SSLC Platform) has published a comprehensive review of the scientific knowledge acquired over the last decade on the effects of solid state lighting (SSL) on human health. This report is primarily intended to support policymakers but can [...]

  The American Lighting Association (ALA) has launched a program designed to define and promote circadian lighting for the home. The program is called Better Light, Better Sleep, and it was created with technical support from the Light and Health Research Center (LHRC) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York [...]

When the glass lamp envelope of a Mercury Vapor (MV) or Metal Halide (MH) lamp is broken, but continues to operate, the quartz arc tube inside emits significant levels of UV radiation that are a danger when there is direct exposure to eyes or skin. Normally, the glass lamp envelope filters the UV radiation and [...]

  Optogenetics is a scientific field and set of tools that shines light on genetically modified cells to activate channels within the cells to make them more or less active. The light is often introduced with surgically implanted optical fibers through which laser light is passed into highly targeted regions containing the genetically modified cells. [...]

Quantas Airlines is receiving its first delivery of ultra long-haul aircrafts from Airbus in mid-2026, the Airbus A350-1000. The new planes, dubbed Project Sunrise, will enable flights from Sydney to London and New York. Among many new features on the Quantas A350s will be a new circadian lighting system with claims that helps passengers arrive [...]

  One of the latest crazes in sleep gadgets is red light sleep devices. The trend was inspired by NASA red light sleep devices for astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS system turns on blue lights to simulate morning and help astronauts wake up, white light to create daytime, and red light [...]

On June 4, 2024, Fitwel, a leading global healthy building certification, released Version 3 (“v3”) of its standard. This update strives to incorporate the latest public health research to optimize real estate assets for health and quality of life, future-proof them for climate adaptation, and maximize real estate value. Overall, the Fitwel standard is guided [...]

On May 24, 2024, the FDA denied all Soft Lights Foundation petitions to regulate LED products, in a letter. According to The Soft Lights Foundation website, “The decision by the FDA to not regulate LED products and to not collaborate with any other federal agency illegally pushes regulation of LED products onto state and local governments.” As [...]