Covers all health issues
New Map Shows the Dark Side of Artificial Light at Night
The greatest value of this study from Falchi and his colleagues may be the baselines it sets for policy debates about light pollution and any associated changes in the level of nighttime illumination. The atlas’s finding about the pernicious skyglow effects of blue-white LEDs, Longcore says, “is a message that incentivizing conversion to cheap blue-white […]
Read MoreLED Streetlight v. Wildlife
According to this article, LED streetlights also have an adverse effect on nocturnal wildlife. Scientists have found that migrating birds are attracted to unnatural lighting, which often results in injuries or death when they collide with reflections on buildings or other structures. High-intensity light pollution has also been linked to low survival rates for hatchling […]
Read MoreSongbirds Exhibit Higher Stress Hormone Under White Streetlights
Free-living songbirds show increased stress hormone levels (corticosterone) when nesting under white street lights. But different light spectra may have different physiological effects as this study finds, suggesting that using street lights with specific color spectra may mitigate effects of light pollution on wildlife. Link to Article
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Streetlights Appear to Have No Effect on Crime Rate
The International Dark Sky Association indicates that there is no clear scientific evidence that increased outdoor lighting deters crimes. It may make us feel safer, but has not been shown to make us safer. Link to Article PDF
Read MoreEarly Warnings About Blue-Light Hazards
Long before the American Medical Association announced its report warning of the hazards of blue-light and night, some reporters realized that blue-light should be avoided. This article was recently updated to include new data on installation of lower Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) LEDs in San Francisco. Link to Article
Read MoreLED Streetlights Save Energy, but Could Have Serious Side Effects
“Unfortunately, exposure to blue-rich light at night can lead to decreased melatonin secretion in humans. Melatonin is a hormone secreted at night by the pineal gland that helps balance the reproductive, thyroid, and adrenal hormones and regulates the body’s circadian rhythm of sleeping and waking. Lower Melatonin levels have been tenuously linked to increased risk […]
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Davis Will Spend $350,000 To Replace LED Lights After Neighbor Complaints
Enough neighbors complained about the brightness and the cool color temperature of the new LED bulbs that the city put a pause on its energy savings project this summer. While it’s true that many people within the community have expressed support for the lights, we’ve actually received more concerns about the brightness of the lights Link […]
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Bringing Back the Night: A Fight Against Light Pollution
But no less a motivation, says France’s Environment Ministry, is to “reduce the print of artificial lighting on the nocturnal environment” — a powerful acknowledgement that excessive use of lighting in many parts of the world is endangering our health and the health of the ecosystems on which we rely. The good news, however, is […]
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Hong Kong’s Light Pollution “Worst in the World”
Hong Kong’s local urban night sky is as much as 1,000 times brighter than international norms making it the most light polluted city in the world, according to a study by the faculty of science at the University of Hong Kong. Link to Article PDF
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Some LED Lights Are Bad For The Eyes
The National Health Security agency warns that the light scattered by the blue LEDs, used to give a white light, pose risks to the retina and may alter the pigments of retinal cells. In addition, this type of light would also have consequences on AMD, the macular degeneration age-related illness not the chipmaker and aggravating […]
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