LIGHT AND HEALTH
a Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institute on Aging to Blue Iris Labs, whose founder and CEO Erik Page has been marketing newer and more advanced versions of the Daysimeter (called the Speck) to researchers around the world. Although going by a different name, the Speck’s technology is still based on the LRC/LHRC calibration methods that made the Daysimeter such a unique research device. (To be clear, we do not have any commercial interest and do not receive any royalties from his business.) But far from simply reaching the research community, our ultimate goal is for everyone to use this technology as a tool in their everyday lives, allowing them to tailor their lighted environment (among various other integrated systems) for better health and well-being. But potential obstacles to that goal are beginning to appear. Underlying all the knowledge we have gained, as well as the technology’s formidable potential, is the US federal government’s massive contribution to our own research and the broader field of lighting research. Plaudits must be given to sponsors like the USDOE, National Institute on Aging, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, General Services Administration, Office of Naval Research, and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, among others. Without their generous support over the past 30 years, we would have been in the dark regarding the measurement of light in the built environment, left with unanswered questions about how light affects health and well-being.
Figure 3. Daytime CS exposures for healthy individuals compared to those with neurodegenerative diseases, including mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). These unpublished data were gathered from recent LHRC studies.
But times have changed, and there is great and growing uncertainty surrounding the future of federal funding for biomedical research. Barring a change of the present course, it is our community’s ardent hope that others will step up to support the continued exploration of light’s impact on our lives. ■
Figure 4. Correlation between daytime CS exposures, sleep efficiency (the amount of time spent in bed actually sleeping, on left), and wake after sleep onset (the total time spent awake after going to bed) in Parkinson’ disease patients living at home. The higher the CS, the greater the sleep efficiency and the lesser the amount of time spent awake at night.
References 1 Wilson R. H. Historical Review of Personnel Dosimetry Development and Its Use in Radiation Protection Programs·at Hanford, 1944 to the 1980s. Report # PNL-6125, UC-41. Richland, Washington: Pacific Northwest Laboratory, 1987. Available at https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/6696446 2 Rea M. S., Figueiro M. G., Jones G. E., Glander K. E. (2014). Daily activity and light exposure levels for five species of lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 153, 68-77. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.22409
3 The Scientist. Top Ten Innovations 2011. The Scientist, January 2012. Midland, Ontario, Canada: LabX Media Group, 2012. Available at https://www.the-scientist.com/ top-ten-innovations-2011-41527
28
designing lighting