Benefits of
Vita-Lite for Schools: Field studies confirm the beneficial effects of full
spectrum lighting in the classroom, which include a lessening in hyperactivity,
a reduction in sickness and absenteeism, improved academic performance.
The Sarasota County
Dental Society showed that the children in the two rooms with the
radiation-shielded, full spectrum lighting developed only one-third of the
number of cavities in their teeth.
They most often cite
a five-year Canadian study that found better attendance and gains in achievement
among students in classrooms with full-spectrum lighting compared with two other
light sources.
Hyperactivity in the
classroom
Educators please take note!
Field studies confirm the beneficial effects of full spectrum lighting in the
classroom, which include a lessening in hyperactivity, a reduction in sickness
and absenteeism, improved academic performance and, as monitored separately by
The Alberta Education Department and The Sarasota County Dental Society in
Florida, even a reduction in dental caries!
There is much evidence to suggest that full spectrum lighting has a calming
effect on hyperactive children in a classroom setting. This was first noted by
Dr. John Ott in a study he carried out in the 1970's at Sarasota's Gocio
Elementary School from which he concluded that full spectrum lighting improved
the behavior of hyperactive children. Since that time there have been many
separate and diverse examples reported to support his original theory.
The International Journal of Biosocial Research, reports:
"In Dr. Ott's experiment full spectrum, radiation-shielded fluorescent
fixtures were installed in two windowless classrooms, and in two other identical
windowless classrooms standard cool white fluorescent fixtures were used as
controls. The results showed that several extremely hyperactive children with
confirmed learning disabilities calmed down completely and rapidly overcame
their learning and reading problems while in the full spectrum lighted
environment. The overall academic achievement level showed significant
improvement, and a simultaneous study by the Sarasota County Dental Society
showed that the children in the two rooms with the radiation-shielded, full
spectrum lighting developed only one-third of the number of cavities in their
teeth compared to the children under the standard cool white fluorescent
lighting.
In Psychology Today (1988) Psychiatrist, Wayne P. London, reported that children
tend to stay healthier if they are taught under full spectrum fluorescent
lighting rather than cool white standard fluorescents. He expressed surprise
that there was such a dramatic drop in the number of absences. He was reporting
the results of an experiment conducted in a Vermont school during the winter
months.
He wrote: "The pupils were all between five and nine years old. Three
classrooms were converted to full spectrum light during the December break. In
the term before the new lights were installed, there was no difference in
sickness rates between the three converted classrooms and three similar rooms.
Yet after the new lights were installed, the children in classrooms with full
spectrum lighting took fewer days off from school than the other children did.
In the classrooms with full spectrum lighting, the new lights appeared to
reverse the normal pattern, in which children tend to become ill more often in
the winter and early months of spring."
The Wall Street Journal (December 31 1992) reports more supporting evidence:
"Full spectrum light gives off more ultra-violet at certain wavelengths
than standard cool white fluorescent light. The light is closer to natural
daylight than ordinary indoor light and, therefore, some dentists prefer it, as
do cosmeticians and graphic artists because it improves their ability to
distinguish colors. It is considered more energy-efficient, even though the
bulbs can cost twice as much as standard lighting.
"Long Island lighting engineer, Dan Karen, has been pushing the State of
New York to pass legislation requiring full spectrum lighting in schools. Mr. Karen
and other proponents claim the lighting may improve the health and performance
of students. They most often cite a five-year Canadian study that found better
attendance and gains in achievement among students in classrooms with
full-spectrum lighting compared with two other light sources. When trace amounts
of ultra-violet were added, gains were recorded in weight and height. 'Even
dental cavities were reduced, with savings in dental costs averaging $100.00 a
child per year,' says Warren Hathaway of The Alberta Education Department which
conducted the study.
George C. Brainard, Associate Professor of Neurology and Pharmacology at
Jefferson University Medical School in Philadelphia, who is noted for his
research on light, notes that while the Canadian field study appears to be the
best thus far, extensive testing under more rigorously controlled conditions is
needed to rule out other possible explanations for the improvements.
Professor Brainard says, 'When I look at a handful of applied studies in schools
- some conducted with greater rigor than others - the remarkable thing is that
each of those studies suggests the same finding ....... that the quality of
light has an impact on either the health or the performance of students.' Dr.
Brainard recently completed a three-year study that shows that near-ultraviolet
light enters the retina and causes both visual stimulation and electrical
activity in the brain in children and young adults. Such stimulation, strongest
at birth, appears to be lost in adulthood.
Patricia DeOria, Director of Riverside School in Richmond, Virginia, admitted to
feeling skeptical about the initial request she received for installing full
spectrum lighting in classrooms. Just one week after their installation, her
skepticism changed to admiration. She wrote, "It was noticeable that the
atmosphere at Riverside School was much calmer within a matter of days."
