Overview
- PET/CT scans of 466 adults at Massachusetts General Hospital linked higher artificial night light near homes to increased stress-related brain activity, arterial inflammation, and major cardiac events.
- Each standard-deviation increase in night light corresponded to roughly 35% higher 5-year and 22% higher 10-year cardiovascular risk after adjusting for traditional and socio-environmental factors.
- Exposure was estimated from the 2016 New World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness using VIIRS satellite data to approximate ground-level night sky luminance at participants’ addresses.
- Risks were greater in neighborhoods facing additional stressors such as traffic noise or lower income, and 17% of participants experienced major heart events during follow-up through 2018.
- Researchers urged precautionary steps like dimming or shielding outdoor lighting and limiting screens before bed, while calling for larger, more diverse, interventional studies.