(1 day, 12 hours ago)
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Lord Davidson of Glen Clova
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the developing science on the adverse health effects of LED lighting.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Baroness Merron) (Lab)
My Lords, the risk to the general population is considered low. Potential health risks from lighting are not unique to LED lighting. The Government continue to monitor evidence on the health impacts of LED lighting, publishing guidance on flicker reduction and healthy lighting environments. The UK Health Security Agency contributes to international research and standards and works with experts to better understand how light exposure affects health and to promote good lighting design.
Lord Davidson of Glen Clova (Lab)
I thank my noble friend the Minister for her response. I congratulate the NHS on the new Moorfields hospital, which will open next year. However, given the cutting-edge research that has been carried out at UCL on the link between daylight and health effects, can my noble friend assure the House that the new hospital will avoid the problems of 100% LED lighting?
Baroness Merron (Lab)
I too very much welcome the new Moorfields hospital which, as my noble and learned friend says, is to open next year. The architecture integrates national daylight with 100% LED lighting. I can assure the House that it has been developed in accordance with applicable net-zero design standards, approvement requirements, technical standards and assurance processes, as I am sure noble Lords would expect. We are seeking confirmation from the trust about any daylighting studies or assessments that have been undertaken as part of the design process. When I get that information, I will be very pleased to write to my noble and learned friend.
Lord Robathan (Con)
My Lords, what research is being done on the effects of high-visibility headlights on cars? I am not sure whether they are LED, but they are causing people to have accidents.
Baroness Merron (Lab)
The DfT is undertaking independent research and is approaching this with regulatory changes and through international safety standards. The noble Lord raised the question of why glare is a problem. The Which? report on this, published only yesterday, talked not just about brighter LED but the height of vehicles and beam alignment. The DfT has just this week updated driver advice in the Highway Code on this very point, encouraging people to get it checked.
Baroness Pidgeon (LD)
My Lords, the Advertising Standards Authority upheld a complaint in June about an LED face mask that claimed it was clinically proven it could reduce wrinkles in four weeks.
Baroness Pidgeon (LD)
Exactly. Given there are numerous adverts for at-home LED beauty devices in the run-up to Christmas, will the Government urgently assess whether existing regulation adequately protects consumers in terms of product safety and the evidence supporting claims about health benefits?
Baroness Merron (Lab)
This is ongoing work. If it was a true claim, I am sure that many noble Lords would have been very keen to benefit—me included.
Baroness Merron (Lab)
How kind. But quite seriously, it is good that the Advertising Standards Authority is looking into this. We have regulations to ensure that people are not misled and are protected. Tangentially but linked, I am sure that the House would welcome our recent work on cosmetic surgery regulations, which really strengthens this point.
Baroness Rafferty (Lab)
My Lords, does the Minister agree that the practice recently put in place by King’s College Hospital of exposing intensive care patients to daylight has promoted their earlier recovery and should be adopted by other NHS trusts?
Baroness Merron (Lab)
My noble friend is absolutely right to highlight the fantastic King’s critical care roof garden. I was very pleased to see the media coverage of it earlier this year. Not only are the team providing full life support to the patients, staff and families, allowing them to feel the therapeutic effects of being outside and in nature, but they are using the spaces they have developed for research on whether it gives the right support and enhances people’s health. I am very much looking forward to what they come up with. It is very impressive on top of their medical excellence.
Lord Evans of Rainow (Con)
My Lords, given the growing evidence that exposure to artificial light at night can disrupt sleep and the circadian rhythms, does the Minister agree that the Government should do more to ensure that the public are aware of these potential health risks? Will the Minister commit to updating existing public health guidance to reflect the latest scientific evidence?
Baroness Merron (Lab)
If there are particular things the noble Lord thinks the Government are not doing, I would be very pleased to receive details. I am glad that he did not refer specifically to LED lighting. As I have said, there is no evidence that it is directly harmful in normal use in the general population. However, through the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment, we are developing an evidence-based review programme on artificial light and health, just as he asks, and gathering evidence and identifying gaps. We are also supporting research and working internationally. I would be very pleased to give further details if the noble Lord would like.
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Lab)
I will revert to the question of headlights that people know I have been campaigning on. With LED lights, there are questions both about the luminance—that is, the strength —and about it being a blue light rather than the softer yellow of halogen lights. Would my noble friend agree to put the expertise at the Department of Health together with that at the Department for Transport, which is doing good research on this, so we can make sure these two lots of expertise tie up together?
Baroness Merron (Lab)
The policy for lighting is shared across a number of departments—not just the Department for Health and Social Care but the Department for Transport, as my noble friend says, as well as the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, and a number of arm’s-length bodies. We do all indeed co-ordinate and, as I mentioned earlier, work internationally, particularly with the UN Economic Commission for Europe, because we need to ensure that we update international vehicle lighting to meet the point that my noble friend is concerned about.
Lord Patel (CB)
My Lords, the Minister referred to blue light and its effect on children, which is correct, but a similar biological effect occurs in the retina of children based on the amount of time they spend on screen usage, particularly at night, because, as mentioned already, it disrupts melatonin production, which disrupts sleep. The same effect happens based on the length of time children use screens as for LED lighting, particularly higher-wavelength LED lighting. I thank the Minister for commenting on that.
Baroness Merron (Lab)
The noble Lord is quite right and highlights exactly the point I was making earlier on the first question about cars and lighting. There are a number of factors. Screen use can indeed be harmful, particularly where it replaces sleep, physical activity or leisure time. As the noble Lord will know, we advise families with under-fives to limit screens around bedtime and to ensure that content is age appropriate. I know that our department and the Department for Education will be publishing wider guidance for five to 18 year-olds in January.