Upcoming workshop on shift work, light at night, and circadian disruption
Many people experience interruptions in light-dark cycles due to their lifestyle choices (e.g. use of electronic devices at night), location of their residences (e.g., urban light pollution), or working at night (e.g., shift work). Exposures to artificial light at night (ALAN) or changes in the timing of exposures to natural light (such as with ‘jet lag’) may disrupt biological processes controlled by endogenous circadian rhythms, potentially resulting in adverse health outcomes.
NTP is interested in understanding the health effects of circadian disruption related to ALAN and shift work. NTP’s Office of the Report on Carcinogens (ORoC) and Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT) plan to conduct health hazard assessments focusing on cancer (ORoC) and non-cancer (OHAT) health outcomes. To that aim, ORoC and OHAT are hosting the upcoming Workshop on Shift Work at Night, Artificial Light at Night, and Circadian Disruption on March 10 from 2:30 - 5:30 pm and March 11 from 8 am – 6 pm at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The goal of the workshop is to obtain external scientific input on topics important for informing the literature-based health hazard assessments, including strategies for integrating data across evidence streams and exposure scenarios (e.g., ALAN, shift work), and on data gaps and research needs.
Registration to attend the workshop in-person or view via webcast is now available for both March 10 and 11 at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/workshop_ALAN. Additional workshop information and materials may also be found at the workshop website.