Greta Jimenez
Light pollution is the excessive or inappropriate use of outdoor artificial light, and it's a global issue. Common sources of light pollution include street lamps, parking lot lights, exterior lights on homes and businesses, and illuminated signs. It has a wide range of negative impacts, affecting human health, wildlife behaviour, biodiversity, energy efficiency, and our ability to observe stars and other celestial objects. Light pollution disrupts the natural day and night cycles that all life on Earth has relied on for billions of years, with consequences for both humans and wildlife. It can interfere with sleep, migration, mating, and other essential behaviours, and has even been linked to an increased risk of cancer and other diseases in humans. As light pollution continues to increase due to technological advancements and urbanization, addressing this issue becomes increasingly urgent.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Electric lights | Cars, streetlamps, offices, factories, outdoor advertising, buildings |
| Blue light | Cell phones, computer devices, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) |
| Nocturnal light | Interrupts sleep, confuses the circadian rhythm |
| Light trespass | Unwanted light that escapes from one property to adjacent properties |
| Over-illumination | Using excessive light where it isn't needed |
| Light clutter | Redundant clusters of lighting in urban centers |
| Sky glow | Collective light pollution found over big cities |
| Light photons | Must hit the retina for biological effects to occur |
| Clock genes | Carry the genetic instructions to produce protein products that control circadian rhythm |
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What You'll Learn
Blue light from phones, computers, and LEDs
Blue light, emitted by phones, computers, and LEDs, is a significant contributor to light pollution. Blue light has been shown to reduce melatonin levels in humans, leading to various health issues. Melatonin is a hormone that is released in the absence of light and inhibited when light is present. Reduced melatonin production due to blue light exposure can result in sleep deprivation, fatigue, headaches, stress, anxiety, and potentially more severe health problems.
The widespread use of LEDs in homes, industrial settings, and city lighting has intensified the impact of blue light pollution. LEDs are popular due to their low cost and energy efficiency, but their extensive use has disrupted natural light cycles, particularly in urban areas. This disruption has consequences for both human health and the environment.
In terms of human health, blue light from electronic devices and LEDs can interfere with the body's circadian rhythm, the internal 24-hour clock that governs day and night activities. Disruption of this rhythm can lead to sleep disorders, depression, hypertension, attention deficit disorder, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
Additionally, blue light pollution can affect wildlife and ecosystems. Nocturnal animals, which are active at night, find their nighttime environment drastically altered by artificial light, disrupting their natural behaviours. This includes the migration patterns of birds and sea turtles, wake-sleep habits, and habitat formation. Blue light pollution also attracts insects, making them easy prey for birds and other predators.
The excessive use of blue light-emitting devices and LEDs contributes to light pollution, with far-reaching consequences for both human well-being and the natural world. Addressing this issue requires a combination of awareness, improved lighting design, and the implementation of measures to reduce light pollution's impact on our health and the environment.
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Over-illumination in offices, stores, and homes
Offices, for example, should strike a balance between brightness and comfort. Inadequate lighting can cause eyestrain and reduce employee morale, but excessively bright lighting can lead to glare on computer screens, resulting in headaches and distractions. Fluorescent bulbs, commonly found in office settings, have been associated with various symptoms, including headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes, and blinking excessively.
To mitigate over-illumination in offices, it is recommended to use indirect ambient lighting and task lighting to ensure even illumination without glare or shadows. Cove lights, hidden light fixtures, and lamps can provide indirect illumination. Employees can also adjust task lights to reduce glare and save energy by turning off lights when not in use. Additionally, using light colours and matte finishes on walls and ceilings can reduce contrast and soften reflected light.
Retail stores and malls are also prone to over-illumination, often utilising fluorescent bulbs due to their low cost and long lifespan. However, the harsh lighting and humming of fluorescent lights can be irritating to customers and employees.
Similarly, in homes, the use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) has become popular due to their low cost and energy efficiency. While LEDs can be beneficial, excessive artificial light in homes can disrupt the natural day and night cycles, affecting human health and wildlife behaviour.
Overall, over-illumination in offices, stores, and homes can be mitigated by adopting appropriate lighting designs, utilising different types of lighting, and prioritising the health and wellness of occupants.
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Light trespass onto adjacent properties
Light trespass is a significant contributor to light pollution, where light emitted by a lighting installation shines beyond the boundaries of the property on which it is sited, impacting adjacent properties and their owners or occupants. This can occur when lighting installations, such as houselights, yard lights, or security lights, are not properly shielded or directed away from neighbouring properties. The result is an invasion of light that can reduce privacy, increase energy costs, and negatively affect the enjoyment and use of the adjacent property.
Light trespass can have a range of impacts on neighbouring properties. Firstly, it can cause nuisance glare, creating an annoyance or aggravation for the occupants. This can impair or impede the ability of individuals to quietly enjoy their property, similar to how excessive noise or loud music can disturb the peace. Light trespass can also lead to increased energy costs for everyone in the affected area, as the excess light results in higher energy consumption.
In residential areas, light trespass can disrupt the sleep and well-being of neighbouring residents. The excessive artificial light can interfere with the natural circadian rhythm, inhibiting the production of the hormone melatonin, which is typically released in darkness. This disruption can result in sleep deprivation, fatigue, headaches, stress, anxiety, and other health issues. Additionally, light trespass can negatively impact wildlife, particularly nocturnal animals, by altering their natural behaviours and disrupting their nighttime environment.
To address light trespass, it is essential to consider the direction and intensity of lighting installations. In some cases, simply re-pointing lights or installing appropriate shades can help reduce the impact on adjacent properties. Communities may also establish regulations and standards to minimise light trespass, such as those outlined in Chapter 18.120 Outdoor Lighting, which aim to reduce light pollution generated by residential, commercial, and industrial lighting fixtures. These standards include measures such as shielding, filtering, redirecting, or replacing lights with less intense sources to eliminate light trespass.
If you are experiencing light trespass from a neighbouring property, it is recommended to first approach your neighbour and explain the situation amicably. They may be unaware of the issue and willing to make adjustments. If the issue persists, mediation with a third-party neutral could help craft a mutually agreeable solution. In some cases, legal remedies may be pursued, such as filing a lawsuit on "common law" nuisance grounds, particularly if your peace and enjoyment of your property are severely impacted.
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Light clutter in urban centres
The effects of light clutter in urban centres are far-reaching. One of the most noticeable impacts is the reduction in the visibility of stars and other celestial objects, with city dwellers often only able to see a handful of stars on a clear night. This not only takes away from the enjoyment of stargazing but also disrupts the practices of traditional societies that incorporate astronomical knowledge into their culture and seasonal activities, such as the New Zealand Māori people.
Light clutter also has significant ecological consequences. The introduction of artificial light represents a drastic change to the environment, disrupting the natural day and night cycles that plants and animals rely on for various life-sustaining behaviours. For example, nocturnal animals that are active at night may experience confusion and altered sleeping patterns due to the presence of artificial light. Additionally, predators that use light to hunt and prey species that rely on darkness as cover can have their relationships disrupted, impacting their mating, feeding, and survival strategies.
The excessive lighting associated with light clutter in urban centres also attracts insects, a primary food source for birds and other animals. Insects are drawn to the artificial lights and become easy prey, while birds can become disoriented and confused by the bright lights, leading to fatal collisions with buildings and other structures during migration. Furthermore, light clutter contributes to energy waste and increases the risk of certain health issues in humans, such as sleep disorders like sleep deprivation, fatigue, headaches, stress, anxiety, and potentially more severe problems like cancer.
Addressing light clutter in urban centres requires a multi-faceted approach. This includes adopting better lighting design practices, such as shielding lights to reduce glare and directing light only where it is needed. Individuals, institutions, and governments can also play a role by changing light bulbs and fixtures, supporting the development of codes and statutes that reduce light pollution, and promoting the conservation of dark-sky areas to restore the natural balance between light and darkness in our urban environments.
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Sky glow over big cities
Sky glow is the brightening of the night sky, mostly over urban areas, due to electric lights from cars, streetlamps, offices, factories, outdoor advertising, and buildings. It is one of the most pervasive forms of light pollution, with 99% of Americans and Europeans living under sky glow.
The brightening of the night sky caused by sky glow reduces our ability to observe stars and other celestial objects. This is a pressing issue for astronomers, who are concerned about the impact of light pollution on their ability to view celestial objects.
Sky glow also has a significant impact on human health. Artificial light disrupts the body's biological clock, affecting sleep cycles and causing sleep deprivation, fatigue, headaches, stress, and anxiety. Studies have also found a correlation between reduced melatonin levels and cancer.
In addition to affecting humans, sky glow has a detrimental effect on wildlife. Nocturnal animals, which are active at night, have their natural rhythms disrupted by the presence of artificial light, which turns night into day. This can impact their behaviour, including mating, sleep, and finding food. It can also interfere with predator-prey relationships, as predators use light to hunt, while prey species use darkness as cover.
To address the issue of sky glow over big cities, individuals, institutions, and governments should take action to limit light pollution. This includes changing light bulbs and fixtures, adopting measures to govern development around biodiversity and protected areas, and creating and promoting dark-sky areas.
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Frequently asked questions
Light pollution is the excessive or inappropriate use of outdoor artificial light.
Common sources of light pollution include street lamps, parking lot/shopping mall lights, exterior lights found on most homes/businesses, neon signs, illuminated signboards, and unshielded lamps.
Light pollution disrupts the natural rhythms of plants and animals, including their migration, reproduction, hunting, and feeding. It also interferes with predator-prey relationships and plant phenology.
Light pollution disrupts the body's biological clock, affecting sleep cycles and causing health issues such as sleep deprivation, fatigue, headaches, stress, and anxiety, and potentially increasing the risk of cancer.
Individuals, institutions, and governments can take measures such as changing light bulbs and fixtures, adopting development regulations that consider biodiversity and protected areas, creating dark-sky areas, shielding lights to reduce glare, dimming lights, and turning off unnecessary lights.
