The light exposure and hormonal cancers reading list was posted earlier,
but will give it again in part.  Look in: Science News 10/17/98, 5/13/95,
pg 300, 1/10/98, pg 29, 7/3/93, pg 10 and 8/14/93; "Epidemiologist" May 91
and Sept. 98; "Cancer causes and Control" Nov.; "Journal of Clinical
Endocrinology and Metabolism" Nov. 97; "Molecular Carcinogens" March 98;
and "Laboratory Science" Oct 97
 
Ferret adrenal growth studies do NOT exist, but Judi Bell's letter went
into several of her personal observations which might be related; hopefully
this will be among the things which still need to be studied as possible
triggers.
 
Oh, I heard from several people who used similar lighting situations to the
ones Judi described (COMPLETE darkness for a number of hours in each 24
hour period) and they also had NOT seen any adrenal growths.  If anyone
else has tried that (no matter whether the results included adrenal growth
or not) I am willing to pass on your observations to Judi.  The sample is a
very small one, unfortunately.  Nothing negative was in it, but we all know
that small sample can be taken as hints at best.
 
In humans the studies began because it was noticed that those without eyes
or without working eyes had lower rates of certain hormonal cancers and
slower growth of those which they did get.  Humans have had the imposition
of added light at night FAR longer than ferrets have, plus humans are NOT
descended from creatures which have burrow dwelling ancestors in recent
time (and thousands of years IS recent when something as basic as hormonal
interactions is the topic).
 
Might it pan out?  Sure.  Might it not pan out?  Sure.  At this point,
though, there is a LOT of related and very intriguing evidence.
 
Do I think that putting the ferrets in a used garage would make sense?  No.
My major objections would be the airborne hydrocarbons and other nasties
which tend to be in garages, and which may be more potentially dangerous
than adrenal growths usually are.  Don't have risk analysis numbers on
this -- just serious reservations.
 
Judi didn't say anything about time.  My point was that in the human
studies OUR peak melatonin production time is 2 to 3 in the morning, and
that this turned out to be an important consideration in the studies;
therefore we need to be aware that the peak production times of our pets is
NOT yet known (along with a PILE of other things) and that may be a
consideration in any future studies if and when there's enough financial
and academic support for them.
 
Like everyone else here I'm just learning bit by bit, but I figure if
something has a possible solution that's not too hard it sure doesn't hurt
anything to try to find easy ways to address the need so that folks are
more inclined to try it and see if it helps.  Heck, I'm VERY interested in
learning from the designs people presented and in getting the blackout
curtain fabric used in Alaska -- for cage wrap, or box wrap, or for a bag
with added bedding, or for wrapping sleeping boxes, most likely for some
combination.  Then, I'll just need to somewhere dig up the time to make the
stuff... (Wish we hadn't gotten rid of that dark print, quilted sleep sack
with interior fleece, but before we knew that Spot didn't have anything
contagious we got rid of a pile of things just to be extra safe.  I bet I
couldn't have shined a flashlight through that thing!!!!!)
 
NO, Judi did NOT say anything about free-range ferrets.  Had a LOT of
letters from people here who pointed out that their free-range ones seek
out very dark places to sleep, though.
 
People HAVE been upfront that this is hypothetical!
 
Sukie
[Posted in FML issue 2511]