Shedding Some Light in the Dark-A Comparison of Personal Measurements with Satellite-Based Estimates of Exposure to Light at Night among Children in the Netherlands

BACKGROUND: Exposure to light at night (LAN) can perturb the biological clock and affect sleep and health. Previous epidemiological studies have evaluated LAN levels measured by satellites, but the validity of this measure as a proxy for personal LAN exposure is unclear. In addition, outdoor satellite-measured LAN levels are higher in urban environments, which means that this measure could potentially represent a proxy for other, likely urban, environmental exposures. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated correlations of satellite-assessed LAN with measured bedroom light levels and explored correlations with other environmental exposures, in particular, air pollution, green space, and area-level socioeconomic position (SEP). METHODS: We compared satellite measurements with evening and nighttime bedroom measurements of illuminance (in units of lux) for 256 children, and we evaluated correlations between satellite-based measures and other urban exposures such as air pollution, area-level SEP, and surrounding green space for 3,021 children. RESULTS: Satellite-measured LAN levels (nanowatts per centimeter squared per steradian) were not correlated with measured evening or nighttime lux levels [Spearman correlation coefficients (r(S)) -0.11 to 0.04]. There was a weak correlation with measurements during the darkest time period if parents and their children reported that outdoor light sometimes or usually influenced indoor light levels (r(S) =0.31. n =28). In contrast, satellitemeasured LAN levels were correlated with air pollution (r(S) = 0.76 with NO2, r(S) =0.71 with PM10), and surrounding green space (r(S) = - 0.71 for green space within 1 km of the home). A weak correlation with area-level SEP was also observed (r(S) =0.24). CONCLUSIONS: Outdoor satellite-assessed outdoor LAN exposure levels were correlated with urban environmental exposures, but they were not a good proxy for indoor evening or nighttime personal exposure as measured in our study population of 12-y-old children. Studies planning to evaluate potential risks from LAN should consider such modifying factors as curtains and indoor lighting and the use of electronic devices and should include performing indoor or personal measurements to validate any exposure proxies. The moderate-to-strong correlation of outdoor LAN with other environmental exposures should be accounted for in epidemiological investigations.