Light pollution is a growing issue. Over the past 25 years, artificial lighting has surged by 49% worldwide. For perspective, the brightness of the night sky has risen by almost 10% per year over the last 12 years. Around 80% of the global population is now affected by light pollution.
This is bad news, as light pollution is associated with a range of health problems, such as sleep disorders, fatigue, anxiety and deprivation.
Nighttime light pollution may also significantly increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, a recent study has found.
Alzheimer’s disease has many known risk factors linked with a greater risk of developing the disease. These include health conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes, as well as lifestyle habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol. This latest study now provides convincing evidence that light pollution is another risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease.
To conduct their study, the researchers used Medicare records from between 2012 and 2018, alongside satellite-collected light pollution maps from Nasa to examine whether there was a link between outdoor nighttime light exposure and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in the US. The data featured a mix of men and women, as well as people from different ethnic backgrounds.
The study showed that for people aged 65 and older, living in an area with a lot of nighttime light pollution was a stronger risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease than chronic kidney........