Light-at-Night, Circadian Disruption and Cancer
February 1, 2019
Manolis Kogevinas, MD, PhD (@KogevinasM) discusses how changes in exposure to light-at-night by the general population may affect health and disease.
Exposure to artificial light at night and disruption of the circadian rhythm have been associated with major diseases such as cancers of the breast and prostate, myocardial infarction, and diabetes. Population exposure to artificial light, particularly in the blue spectrum, has increased because of the use of LEDs, e-readers, and portables.
Manolis is Head of the Cancer Research Program at ISGlobal in Barcelona and currently a visiting faculty member in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health. He graduated from the Medical School of Athens, Greece and did his PhD in Epidemiology at the University of London.
Manolis has worked for the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC/WHO), Lyon and the Municipal Institute of Medical Research (IMIM), Barcelona and has served as a member of several WHO and other expert committees evaluating the toxicity of chemicals such as dioxins and drinking water contaminants. He has also been President of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) 2016-2017 and Director of the European Educational Programme in Epidemiology (EEPE-Florence course).
His current research focuses on the interactions between environmental factors, such as water and air, and occupational exposures, such as circadian disruptions and chemicals. He analyzes these interactions as they relate to genetic factors of disease, such as cancer, respiratory diseases, and child health.