19 June 2023: Kick-off meeting at LNE in Paris
The European project MeLiDos piloted by French Metrology Institute LNE had its kick-off meeting on Monday 19th, 2023. The project (22NRM05 MeLiDos) has received funding from the European Partnership on Metrology, co-financed from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme and by the Participating States.”
With a duration of 3 years, its goal is to introduce metrology practices to the measurement of light at the personal dose level, more specifically to wearable light loggers. With 16 partners from 10 different countries, the metrology, chronobiology and photobiology experts will aim to provide guidelines for the characterisation and use of this kind of device, improving upcoming studies on the impacts of light on health and physiology.
Wearable light dosimeters applications have grown in recent years following the discovery of new receptors in the eye 20 years ago. These receptors sensible to blue light are not involved in vision but in regulating several physiological processes collectively called “non-visual” effects. These processes notably include the circadian rhythm and can negatively affect health and wellbeing if disturbed, for example by inappropriate lighting conditions. Wearable solar UV dosimeters are also used to monitor the UV dose received and estimate potential risks of skin cancer.
Current characterisation and calibration methods, such as those used for illuminance meters, are inappropriate for wearable devices that are supposed to be used in large quantities and suboptimal conditions. This is due to their cost and time constraints that are unsuitable for characterising a fleet of e.g. 50 sensors for a single study. In addition, there is no current guidelines on the selection and use of these devices for specific studies. While current researchers and users often do their best with the means and knowledge they have, not all are metrology or optics experts.
This project will introduce new characterisation methods designed to be faster and easier to implement, as well as provide guidelines for selecting and using the devices suitable for different applications. In addition, tools will be developed to help users verify, validate, understand and analyse the data collected by wearable light loggers. This will make research in the field more reliable and in turn provide policy makers with solid background to improve global health and wellbeing.
