A new study from Harvard revealed a greater risk of breast cancer in women living in areas where night have higher levels of outdoor lighting.

Conclusions based on the research of health of nurses (NHS), who for decades conducted experiments to identify the risk of women's health. For this study, the epidemiologist Peter James and his colleagues followed the nurses to the NHS for the detection of breast cancer from 1989 to 2013. The house of each of the 109 672 nurses was geocoded, and the average level of illumination in the immediate surroundings during the night was estimated from satellite imagery.

These estimates were updated within the 15-year observation period. For 2013, there were diagnosed a total of 3549 new cases of breast cancer among these women. The study showed a direct link between the level of illumination in the area where the women live and the risk of developing breast cancer: the higher the light level, the higher the risk.

These results held when accounting for other factors that may also impact on risks such as age, number of children, weight, use of hormonal preparations and a long list of additional potential factors.

The study is important, because it adds compelling evidence of a growing body of research that supports the idea that excessive electric illumination at night increases the risk of breast cancer in women.
sections: Society, World News