Cancer risk from our street lights
PEOPLE who live in areas with high levels of light pollution are more likely to get thyroid cancer, a study warns.
Artificial light from street lamps and buildings could increase the risk by 55 per cent.
Being exposed to light at night interferes with hormones and disrupts body clocks.
This could explain why night lights have been linked with several health issues, including cancer, say scientists.
Disruption
Writing in the journal Cancer, study author Dr Qian Xiao, of the University of Texas, said: “Light at night suppresses melatonin, a modulator of oestrogen activity that may have important anti-tumour effects.
“Also, light at night may lead to disruption of the body’s internal clock, which is a risk factor for various types of cancer.”
Light pollution has risen markedly over the past century. Previous studies have found artificial lights are also associated with a higher risk of breast cancer.
YOU can almost smell the rambling rose and lavender as water trickles gently from a fountain in these stunning shots.
The International Garden Photographer of the Year showcases glorious gardens and these are some of the top British entries.
Among the finalists is Nigel McCall with a door inviting the viewer into walled Aberglasney, Gardens in Carmarthenshire.
And a landscape taken from a drone by Claire Takacs reveals Great Dixter House & Gardens in East Sussex in all its glory.
She said it shows how nature carries on when the world “is brought to a halt”. One by Richard Bloom, shows a frosty Bressingham Gardens in Norfolk while the fountain is at Holker Hall in Cumbria.
The competition is supported by Kew Gardens and Robin Williams from Australia was named overall winner.