Fluorescent Lighting And Prevention Of Alzheimer's Disease
Regular fluorescent light may contribute to alzheimer's
disease. Fluorescent light can cause the generation of hydrogen peroxide in
solutions and, presumably, inside cells. Hydrogen peroxide is toxic to living
cells. One study has found that skin cells from alzheimer patients are
especially prone to damage when they are exposed to fluorescent light [21]. The
blood of alzheimer patients seems to have less chemical defenses against free
radicals, which can be generated by fluorescent light. One solution may be to
switch to " full spectrum " lighting. Full spectrum lighting was popularized by
John Ott. Full spectrum lighting includes more of the natural sunlight than is
found in fluorescent. Further,full spectrum lights are shielded at the ends, to
prevent the leakage of small amounts of x-rays. Studies have shown that children
learn better under full spectrum lighting and that elderly prefer full spectrum
to fluorescent because it is brighter and easier to read by [22]. Full spectrum
lighting that fits in place of regular fluorescent is now available in many
garden and craft shops. Full spectrum lighting also has the advantage that
alzheimer patients exposed to it seem to sleep better and wander less at
night.