A main distinguishing factor in our contemporary civilization from others is the power to harness and extract energy. Our recent century, after the development of the light bulb and corresponding electronics, has been defined in part by the struggle for materials to satisfy our energy demands. In the effort to grow our society and technology, light pollution has emerged as a very evident consequence. Light pollution not only has significant implications and impacts on humans, but also the environment around us.
One fascinating aspect of the journal article was how a large group (100,000+) nurses were sampled in a study to analyze any health complications they have suffered from over time. What was found was that the nurses who had worked three decades and had rotated night shifts had a positive association for breast cancer. This is a chilling finding from the study. In a way, this is a grim signal that changing our “natural” habits, such as working repeatedly through the night, may have serious consequences on our individual biology.
In addition, light pollution has shown that it has negative impacts on the surrounding animals, including ourselves. The interference in the circadian rhythm is a significant impact of light pollution. For example, sleeping disorders such as insomnia may could be an inferred result of light pollution. As cities and urban areas continue to grow, so do sleeping disorders and other health complications that arise during the nighttime. From the ecological perspective, animals such as birds or other animals prevalent around urban areas could suffer from such disorders as well. It will be interesting to see over time if people or animals will adjust to the unprecedented amounts of light pollution by moving away from urban areas or learning to live with new environmental factors.
