This is an article I’m using for my paper as well, and I think it has a lot of really good references to other publications that have to do with the same topic. Light pollution is without a doubt often over looked, much like noise pollution. We’ve discussed on several occasions why this may be the case, and why people choose to prioritize which types of pollution they care most about addressing when studies show them all to have deleterious effects. Me personally, I think light pollution is something I would have no control over in the grand scheme of things. Like sure, I have control within my own home regarding which lightbulbs I use and when my lights are on, but not like I can tell Times Square to chill out with the constant billboard lighting 24/7. Light pollution is also something that’s never really talked about and definitely needs more research done to make a point. Lack of education is a big issue- we hear about air pollution all the time, especially in school at a young age when we start talking about global warming. Sure, light pollution may not correlate with global warming but there are a number of studies that prove the correlation between artificial light and other health problems.
I think melatonin is a really cool hormone that doesn’t get enough credit- it really does orchestrate everything from how we wake up to when we fall asleep. Melatonin not only regulates our biological clocks, but also aids in regulation of other body hormones. In females, melatonin regulates the release of reproductive hormones which helps set the pattern for menstruation and fertility. Another study linked patients with Alzheimer’s to low melatonin levels. The obvious problem with melatonin disturbances would be lack of sleep, which is probably the most concrete health effect of light pollution. We always make jokes and take talk of insomnia lightly but our bodies really aren’t equipped to be living off of 5 hours of sleep a night. When my parents see I’m spending an all-nighter they never fail to chastise me and tell me that my lack of sleep now will catch up to me when I look 50 in 15 years. In my opinion we need to educate people on the severity of light pollution because that’s the only way to teach them to care. In terms of solutions, I’ve read it’s best to use low wattage lightbulbs, use motion sensors to turn off lights that aren’t being any help to anyone, and try to aim and shield light fixtures that you’re implementing on your property outside your home.
