Light + Health

Due to growing international interest in the use of ultraviolet (UV) radiation to manage the risk of COVID-19 transmission, the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) recently published a Position Statement, which follows two CIE publications related to UV-C applications that were made available for free.

The growing understanding of the relationship between light and health has fueled a new lighting trend in circadian-supportive lighting. Some lighting professionals are embracing it while others are taking a wait-and-see approach. While there may be debate about implementation, there is widespread agreement that sufficient light falling on the eye for an adequate amount of time during the day is supportive of circadian health. The question now is should practitioners wait for more research, or should they begin implementing circadian-supportive lighting strategies based on what is known today?

For an article I produced about germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) for the June issues of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR, I had the pleasure of engaging the Illuminating Engineering Society’s Mark Lien in a short interview about GUV. The IES recently produced a guide to GUV.

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) recently released the results of a U.S. Department of Energy-funded study, Measuring Light Exposure and its Effects on Sleep and Behavior in Care Center Residents.

My contribution to the March 2020 issue of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR covered what we know about the blue light hazard.

Dr. Greg Murphy, a Republican Congressman from North Carolina, recently said sunlight can kill the novel coronavirus, but experts say the sun’s UV emission that reaches the earth’s surface isn’t enough to prove out as a disinfectant.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and a wave of seemingly conflicting statements and opinions about the disinfection capabilities and safety of GUV, the Illuminating Engineering Society has issued a report by their Photobiology Committee explaining germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) disinfection and its potential to safely reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

National Lighting Bureau executive director and EdisonReport editor Randy Reid interviewed Dr. Mark Rea of the Lighting Research Center to talk about UV lighting applications for COVID-19.

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) has released a new video on how to maintain good sleep while working from home or quarantining indoors.