Outdoor artificial light-at-night and cancer risk: an exposure assessment comparative study between DMSP, VIIRS and ISS satellite data
Year: 2023
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: BACKGROUND AND AIM: Artificial light-at-night (ALAN) exposure alter circadian rhythms and health. Most studies use images from the Defense Meteorological Program (DMSP) or the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) that do not provide information on blue light spectrum. The DMSP has low spatial resolution (1km to 5km) and poor sensitivity at low-level exposures. We previously studied ALAN in relation to colorectal cancer (CRC) using images from the International Space Station (ISS) with high resolution (30m) and color information. We compared individual exposure data from the three satellites and their associations with CRC risk. METHOD: We used data from 410 CRC cases and 970 controls from the MCC-Spain study (2008-2013), in Barcelona and Madrid. Visual ALAN (radiance) was assessed from DMSP-OLS (2011) and VIIRS (2013) and was compared to visual ALAN (luminance) and an index of blue light spectrum from ISS images (2012 Madrid; 2013 Barcelona). Estimates were assigned to participants’ residence using GIS. We compared agreement between estimates (standardized) using Bland Altman plots, and estimated OR for cancer risk adjusting for relevant confounders. RESULTS: Both VIIRS and DMSP-OLS-assessed visual light, underestimated ALAN compared to ISS, and there was poor correlation between the three sources of ALAN data. Using ISS data we found an association between blue light exposure and CRC risk (OR=1.70, 95%CI 1.46–1.99) but no association for visual light. We observed an association between DMSP-OLS and CRC risk (OR=1.34, 1.16–1.55). Finally, we observed a non-linear inverse association between VIIRS and CRC risk. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that blue light, which is the most relevant to circadian disruption, is most strongly associated with cancer risk. There is a need for validation and standardization of methods assessing ALAN in epidemiological studies. Older, imprecise methods should be substituted by images with precise spatial resolution and accurate light estimation, including spectrum data.
Source: ISEE Conference Abstracts
Institutions: Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Municipal Institute for Medical Research, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, University of Exeter, Institut d'Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge, Institut Català d'Oncologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Centro Nacional de Epidemiología
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4390965571