Recently new Eco lighting has been installed all over North America in the form of LED streetlights made by Dialight. These lights produce a very harsh overly bright white-bluish light. they are at least twice as bright as the High Pressure Sodium lights which are now being phased out. they are very invasive and people say that the light shines into their homes and keeps them up at night. They have also been studied by Professor Abraham Haim, a leading authority on light pollution. White LED whites are actually not white light and really use a blue light spectrum. Haim presented data from an animal study showing the adverse effects of exposure to light at night – particularly short wavelength blue LED light – in which the animals showed varying levels of damage to their metabolic rates, hormone production, body mass and oxygen consumption following exposure, as well as suppressed levels of melatonin production, which is responsible for tumor growth. The light-emitting diode (LED) bulb used in TVs, smartphones, computers
and notebooks, which also gives off a white light, suppresses melatonin
at a rate more than 5 times higher than the High Pressure Sodium bulb. Blue light has also been shown to cause other effects like toxic stress to the retina and other damage to the eyes, look up "blue light hazard" on google. Man's physiology has come to evolve around fire because that is the type of light our ancestors were exposed to. the orange or yellow spectrum is more suited for human eyes because it is more similar to fire, whereas blue light damages our eyes and distorts the production of important brain chemicals having to do with the sleep/wake cycle. the bottom line is that the effects these lights have on human health have not been proven to be safe and adequately studied as this is a very quick change to these LED lights all at once. and this needs to be looked at before they are used in every city in North America and traditional lighting is completely phased out.
I have been reading your messages about the sleep disruption and the harsh glare flooding into your living rooms. It confirms what I feel every night when the light outside my window makes it impossible to rest. I am currently compiling these accounts to hand over to the city council so they cannot ignore the physical toll this is taking on our neighborhood.
7 Comments
J
Janel roscoe
10 years ago
Featured
These led lights interfere with my sleep and I can't get up for school in the morning. Also when my mom is coming home from work, she says it hurts her eyes. Overall there was no need to remove the lights we had before to put up these ugly led lights they have to go!
C
cynthia stallone
11 years ago
Featured
This harsh light is coming straight into my home as it is directly across the street from my house. It is very distrupting and is affecting my quality of life I do not think that I have to spend money on curtains or room darkening shades because some one got a brainstorm & decided to use taxpayers money to make it "daytime' all the time!!!!!
C
Community Friendly Light Group
1 year ago
The problems caused by LED exposure extend beyond brightness, blue content and 3 varieties of flicker, to the very way the energiy profile of LED light propogates in space and time, and the inability of many living things to even process LED emissions as "light." We are in touch with dozens of people having acute, immediate medical reactions to LED of a wide variety. We also have done extensive research into the mountain of published research on the myriad, horrific impacts of LED exposure on the natural world. Essentially, adjusting LED lights in any way either makes no material difference to those individuals or species at the most sensitive end, or actually just transfer the worst effects onto another species. Among the most alarming recent findings: outdoor LED lighting interferes with the nutrient and carbon cycle of soil, by destroying microbes which are necessary for ecosystem functioning and stability, and therefore necessary for life itself. Whether LEDs are "energy efficient" or not is immaterial, and any energy spent on lighting which makes some people too sick to function and wrecks the environment to boot, is clearly wasted energy. We happily sign your petition. We have a complaint in with the NYS Public Services Commission, whose mandate is to "ensure" the safety of utility services like public lighting. The official public comment record is open to all interested parties' comments. We have learned that many people experiencing ill effects are unaware that their symptoms are caused by the new lighting. The lighting industry, policy makers and even certain advocacy groups are failing us, treating this massive public health crisis as an exception to every law and every principle of common sense and good governance. The solution is straightforward and simple - return to the lighting which didn't cause these problems. The level of resistance to that obvious solution is troubling, to say the least.
C
charlie pasch
10 years ago
way over the top these things, what happened to common sense ?
N
Nicole Kadansky
10 years ago
I agree! This new light makes it so I cannot open my windows at all!
B
Brittany
11 years ago
I have to tack thick blankets over my windows to sleep at night. I absolutely hate these damn lights.
E
Ed Abrams
12 years ago
The LED street lights in Cambridge MA are unbearable. Too bright and harsh.
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Recently new Eco lighting has been installed all over North America in the form of LED streetlights made by Dialight. These lights produce a very harsh overly bright white-bluish light. they are at least twice as bright as the High Pressure Sodium lights which are now being phased out. they are very invasive and people say that the light shines into their homes and keeps them up at night. They have also been studied by Professor Abraham Haim, a leading authority on light pollution. White LED whites are actually not white light and really use a blue light spectrum. Haim presented data from an animal study showing the adverse effects of exposure to light at night – particularly short wavelength blue LED light – in which the animals showed varying levels of damage to their metabolic rates, hormone production, body mass and oxygen consumption following exposure, as well as suppressed levels of melatonin production, which is responsible for tumor growth. The light-emitting diode (LED) bulb used in TVs, smartphones, computers
and notebooks, which also gives off a white light, suppresses melatonin
at a rate more than 5 times higher than the High Pressure Sodium bulb. Blue light has also been shown to cause other effects like toxic stress to the retina and other damage to the eyes, look up "blue light hazard" on google. Man's physiology has come to evolve around fire because that is the type of light our ancestors were exposed to. the orange or yellow spectrum is more suited for human eyes because it is more similar to fire, whereas blue light damages our eyes and distorts the production of important brain chemicals having to do with the sleep/wake cycle. the bottom line is that the effects these lights have on human health have not been proven to be safe and adequately studied as this is a very quick change to these LED lights all at once. and this needs to be looked at before they are used in every city in North America and traditional lighting is completely phased out.
I have been reading your messages about the sleep disruption and the harsh glare flooding into your living rooms. It confirms what I feel every night when the light outside my window makes it impossible to rest. I am currently compiling these accounts to hand over to the city council so they cannot ignore the physical toll this is taking on our neighborhood.
7 Comments
J
Janel roscoe
10 years ago
Featured
These led lights interfere with my sleep and I can't get up for school in the morning. Also when my mom is coming home from work, she says it hurts her eyes. Overall there was no need to remove the lights we had before to put up these ugly led lights they have to go!
C
cynthia stallone
11 years ago
Featured
This harsh light is coming straight into my home as it is directly across the street from my house. It is very distrupting and is affecting my quality of life I do not think that I have to spend money on curtains or room darkening shades because some one got a brainstorm & decided to use taxpayers money to make it "daytime' all the time!!!!!
C
Community Friendly Light Group
1 year ago
The problems caused by LED exposure extend beyond brightness, blue content and 3 varieties of flicker, to the very way the energiy profile of LED light propogates in space and time, and the inability of many living things to even process LED emissions as "light." We are in touch with dozens of people having acute, immediate medical reactions to LED of a wide variety. We also have done extensive research into the mountain of published research on the myriad, horrific impacts of LED exposure on the natural world. Essentially, adjusting LED lights in any way either makes no material difference to those individuals or species at the most sensitive end, or actually just transfer the worst effects onto another species. Among the most alarming recent findings: outdoor LED lighting interferes with the nutrient and carbon cycle of soil, by destroying microbes which are necessary for ecosystem functioning and stability, and therefore necessary for life itself. Whether LEDs are "energy efficient" or not is immaterial, and any energy spent on lighting which makes some people too sick to function and wrecks the environment to boot, is clearly wasted energy. We happily sign your petition. We have a complaint in with the NYS Public Services Commission, whose mandate is to "ensure" the safety of utility services like public lighting. The official public comment record is open to all interested parties' comments. We have learned that many people experiencing ill effects are unaware that their symptoms are caused by the new lighting. The lighting industry, policy makers and even certain advocacy groups are failing us, treating this massive public health crisis as an exception to every law and every principle of common sense and good governance. The solution is straightforward and simple - return to the lighting which didn't cause these problems. The level of resistance to that obvious solution is troubling, to say the least.
C
charlie pasch
10 years ago
way over the top these things, what happened to common sense ?
N
Nicole Kadansky
10 years ago
I agree! This new light makes it so I cannot open my windows at all!
B
Brittany
11 years ago
I have to tack thick blankets over my windows to sleep at night. I absolutely hate these damn lights.
E
Ed Abrams
12 years ago
The LED street lights in Cambridge MA are unbearable. Too bright and harsh.
These led lights interfere with my sleep and I can't get up for school in the morning. Also when my mom is coming home from work, she says it hurts her eyes. Overall there was no need to remove the lights we had before to put up these ugly led lights they have to go!