Health risks of ‘blue light’

FAMILIES should switch off all gadgets at night to prevent potentially deadly risks from light pollution, the Chief Medical Officer has warned.

Dame Sally Davies said exposure to a “daily cocktail of pollutants” – including poor air, light, noise and chemicals – was fuelling tens of thousands of cancer, lung and heart deaths.

She said a “horrifying” lack of awareness of the dangers meant families were putting themselves at risk daily.

Her annual report today calls for urgent action to reduce exposure and for more research into specific threats, such as those that may be posed by smartphones. Dame Sally said air pollution contributed to 30,000 deaths annually, a toll which could be far larger if other contaminants were included.

To reduce risk, she urged families to use smartphones with care, turn off all tablets and computers at night, ditch single-use disposable plastics, cut car use by avoiding busy routes and stopping engines idling, and cut lighting.

“What is so horrifying is that we are aware of the risks of tobacco and diet and give advice on it but no one is aware of pollution,” she said.

“I note there is increasing concern about the impact of smartphone screen use and ‘blue light’, upon human health,” she added.