For our entire history we have lived and worked in rhythm with the rising and setting of the sun. But all that changed with the invention of artificial light over 100 years ago. Light fixtures, computer screens, television screens – all of these have allowed us more time to live, work, play and extend the length of our days. And shorten our nights. But at what cost? Are we actually putting ourselves at risk?

Recently scientists have been discovering that exposure to artificial light at night, even the glow of a cell phone or computer screen, can throw our internal body clock out of sync with the planet and could even be leading to serious illnesses like cancer, obesity, heart disease and certain forms of depression. Perhaps those who work in front of a computer screen or who are surrounded by screens most of the time should consider ways to reduce the impact of damaging glare and digital eye strain on their lives. One of the ways that people are doing this is by checking out products like those of Felix Gray which include blue light glasses. These can help to reduce the harmful, artificial light entering their eyes.

With nearly 20 percent of Canadians working night shifts to maintain our 24-hour world, it is now more crucial than ever to find safe and effective answers to what some scientists refer to as an “environmental insult” to our health.

Even though light at night’s effect on health is still a relatively new discovery, the clinical proof is mounting. In July 2012, a report co-authored by Dr. David Blask, Dr. Richard Stevens, Dr. Steven Lockley and Dr. George Brainard was approved by the American Medical Association, officially recognizing that light at night can effect our health and be linked to breast cancer and many common diseases.

Dir. McNamara and team filming at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto. Image courtesy of Markham Street Films Inc.

Lights Out!, the new documentary by director Michael McNamara, joins leading scientists in the lab and in the field, to discover how much harm light at night may be causing and we learn about the ground-breaking steps being taken to protect ourselves. Through the film, we check out the nightshift at the Bruce Nuclear Power Plant, go for a ride-along with 18-wheeler truckers on a cross continental run, and meet a New Orleans scientist who fights cancer by day and plays trumpet with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band by night. The film points out that danger hot spots are everywhere – from the illumination in the Hospital ICU, to the tiny screens of our mobile devices.

“Light pollution is one environmental issue that we can exercise real control over,” said Michael McNamara, “so we wanted to examine our fascination with light as well as the hidden effects it is having on us physically.”

What can we do about an environmental hazard that we just can’t seem to live without? Lights Out! ventures into the darker side of light to find answers. The film presents some very interesting scientific research but also offers some ‘food for thought’ with regards to how certain advacement can impact our overall well-being. The world broadcast premiere of this one-hour documentary is tonight, Dec 6th at 8pm EST (8:30 NT) through CBC‘s The Nature of Things.