French authorities warn of health dangers from LED lighting

LED lights, popular for using only a fifth of the electricity needed for an incandescent bulb can damage the eye's retina and disturb natural sleep rhythms, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) said this week.

Acute exposure to high-intensity LED light and chronic exposure to LED light can "accelerate the aging of retinal tissue, contributing to a decline in visual acuity and certain degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration," the agency concluded.


LED cellphone, tablet and laptop screens do not pose a risk of eye damage because their luminosity is very low compared to other types of lighting, Francine Behar-Cohen, an ophthalmologist and head of the expert group that conducted the review, told journalists.

But these back-lit devices -- especially when they are used at night or in a dark setting -- can "disturb biological rhythms, and thus sleep patterns," the agency cautioned.

Interfering with the body's circadian rhythm is also known to aggravate metabolic disorders such a diabetes, as well as cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer, noted Dina Attia, a researcher and project manager at ANSES.

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