You are using an outdated browser. For a faster, safer browsing experience, upgrade for free today.

Light pollution from led lighting systems and ways of reducing its environmental consequences

ISSN 2223-6775 Ukrainian journal of occupational health Vol.20, No 2, 2024


https://doi.org/10.33573/ujoh2024.02.138

Light pollution from led lighting systems and ways of reducing its environmental consequences

Sakhno T.V.1 , Kozhushko G.M.2, Nazarenko V.I.3
1 Poltava State Agrarian University, Poltava
2 National University "Poltava Polytechnic named after Yurii Kondratyuk", Poltava
3 SI «Kundiiev Institute of Occupational Health of the NAMS of Ukraine», Kyiv


Full article (PDF): ENG

Introduction. Light pollution (LP) is recognized as a global environmental problem. The need of reducing the level of LP is emphasized not only for the external environment, but also for residential premises.

The aim of the study is to analyze the literature data and normative-methodological acts regarding LP, its negative impact on the environment and human health, prevention measures of justification of measures to reduce the levels of light pollution from outdoor lighting systems, and development of recommendations for their further improvement.

Research methods and materials. An analytical review of scientific publications over the past 20 years was performed using the databases EuroPub (Great Britain), Science Direct - Scopus - Web of Science - Core - Google Scholar "Google Academies", Hinari Access to Research for Health, National Library of Medicine, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Library of Ukraine named after V. I. Vernadskyi, as well as scientific publications taken from open sources.

Results of the research and their discussion. Light pollution is a broad concept that refers to all problems caused by unnecessary, excessive or ineffective use of artificial light. With regard to the impact on people, light pollution is proposed to be considered as the presence of an excessive amount of light (over-illumination), which exceeds the regulatory documents for a given territory, room, time of day and lighting regime. In addition to the "glow" of the sky (sky glows), which is caused by the light scattered in the lower layers of the atmosphere from outdoor lighting systems, buildings, illuminated advertising, vehicles, etc., the following forms of light pollution are qualified: glare caused by excessive brightness of light; penetration of light (light trespass) beyond the necessary limits and negatively affects the living environment of people; "clutter" caused by powerful light sources that create excessive lighting. Light pollution is also widespread indoors, which increases the risks to people's health. The most negative consequence of artificial lighting at night for a person is the violation of biological rhythms due to the inhibition of nighttime melatonin secretion. Measures to mitigate the negative impact of light pollution in connection with the transition to LED lighting were considered taking into account the characteristics of the parameters of light-emitting diode (LED) light sources. To reduce the level of light pollution, the concept and principles proposed by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) are taken as a basis. A list of measures to reduce the level of light pollution carried out in Ukraine is recommended.

Conclusions. Based on the analysis, conclusions were drawn regarding the need for further research on reducing the level of light pollution and its impact on the environment and human health, improving regulatory documents on LED lighting systems and implementing outdoor lighting projects according to the principles recommended by IDA.

Keywords: light pollution, LED sources of light, circadian rhythms, spectrum of light, brightness, lighting, photo-biological danger of light.

References

  1. Navara KJ, Nelson RJ. The dark side of light at night: physiological, epidemiological, and ecological consequences. J. Pineal Res. 2007;43:215-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-079X.2007.00473.x.
  2. Cao M, Xu T, Yin D. Understanding light pollution: Recent advances on its health threats and regulations. Journal Environ. Sci. 2023;127:589-602. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2022.06.020.
  3. Widmer K, Beloconi A, Marnane I, Vounatsou P. Review and Assessment of Available Informationon LightPollutionin Europe (Eionet Report – ETC HE 2022/8) [Internet]. Kjeller, Norway: ETC HE c/o NILU; 2022 [cited 2023 Nov 9]. Available from https://www.eionet.europa.eu/etcs/all-etc-reports.
  4. Longcore T, Rich C. Ecological light pollution. Ecol. Environ. 2004;2(4):191-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1890/1540-9295(2004)002[0191:ELP]2.0.CO;2.
  5. Hölker F, Jechow A, Schroer S, Tockner K, Gessner MO. Light pollution of fresh water ecosystems: principles, ecological impacts and remedies. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. 2023;378:20220360. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2022.0360.
  6. Cho YoM, Ryu S-H, Lee BR, Kim KH, Lee E, Choi J. Effects of artificial light at night on human health: A literature review of observational and experimental studies applied to exposure assessment. Chronobiol. Int. 2015;32(9):1294-310. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3109/07420528.2015.1073158.
  7. Santhi N, Thorne HC, van der Veen DR, Johnsen S, Mills SM, Hommes V, Schlangen LJM, Archer SN, Dijk D-J. The spectral composition of evening light and individual differences in the suppression of melatonin and delay of sleep in humans. J. Pineal Res. 2012;53(1):47-59. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-079X.2011.00970.x.
  8. Rossi M. Circadian Lighting Design in the LED Era. Springer Cham; 2019. 277 p. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11087-1.
  9. Hatori M, et al. Global rise of potential health hazards caused by blue light-induced circadian disruption in modernaging societies. Aging and Mechanisms of Disease. 2017;3(1):9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41514-017-0010-2.
  10. IES TM-18-18 Light and Human Health: An Over view of the Impact of Optical Radiation on Visual, Circadian, Neuro end ocrine and Neurobehavioral Responses. New York: Illuminating Engineering Society; 28 p.
  11. Abay KA, Amare M. Night light intensity and women’s body weight: evidence from Nigeria. Econ. Hum. Biol. 2018;31:238-48. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2018.09.001.
  12. Kim M, Subramanian M, Cho Y-H, et al. Short-term exposure to dim light at night disrupts rhythmic behaviors and causes neurodegeneration in fly models of tauopathy and Alzheimer's disease. Biochem&Biophysic.Res. Com. 2018;495:1722-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2017.12.021.
  13. Clarke RB, Amini H, James P, von Euler-Chelpin M, et al. Outlook light at night and breast cancer incidence in the Danish Nurse Cohort. Env. Research. 2021;194:110631. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.110631.
  14. ISO/CIE 8995-3:2018. Lighting of work places - Part 3: Lighting requirements for safety and security of outdoor work places. Available from: https://www.iso.org/ru/standard/70593.html.
  15. DSTU EN 12464-1:2016. [Light and lighting. Workplace lighting. Part 1. Indoor workplaces (EN 12464-1:2011, IDT)]. Available from: http://online.budstandart.com/ua/catalog/doc-page.html?id_doc=71838. Ukrainian.
  16. DSTU EN 62471:2017. [Safety of photobiological lamps and lamp systems (EN 62471:2008, IDT; IES 62471:2006, MOD)]. Available from: http://online.budstandart.com/ua/catalog/docpage?id_doc=74817. Ukrainian.
  17. Shpak S, Kozhushko G, Kyslytsia S, Sakhno T, Pityakov O. Study of photobiological safety of LED lamps and lamps for general lighting. Ukrainian Metrological Journal. 2020;(4):29-35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24027/2306-7039.4.2020.224278.
  18. Wilkins AJ, Veitch J, Lehman B. LED lighting flicker and potential health concerns: IEEE standard PAR1789 update. In: 2010 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition; 2010 Sept. 12-16; Atlanta. IEEE; 2010. p. 171-8. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1109/ECCE.2010.5618050.
  19. Lehman B, Wilkins AJ. Designing to Mitigate Effects of Flicker in LED Lighting: Reducing risks to health and safety. IEEE Power Electronics Magazine. 2014;1(3):18-26. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1109/MPEL.2014.2330442.
  20. IEEE Std 1789-2015. Recommended Practices for Modulating Current in High-Brightness LEDs for Mitigating Health Risks to Viewers. USA: IEEE; 2015. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1109/IEEESTD.2015.7118618.
  21. Inger R, Bennie J, Davies TW, Gaston KJ. Potential Biological and Ecological Effects of Flickering Artificial Light. PLOS ONE. 2014;9 (5):98631. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0098631.
  22. Jechow A, Kyba CC, Hölker F. Mapping the brightness and color of urban to rural skyglow with all-sky photometry. J. Quant. Spectr. Rad. Transf. 2020;250:106988. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jqsrt.2020.106988.
  23. Gaston KJ, Visser ME, Hölker F. The biological impacts of artificial light at night: the research challenge. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B. 2015;370(1667):20140133. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2014.0133.
  24. Hölker F, et al. 11 Pressing Research Questions on How Light Pollution Affects Biodiversity. Front. Ecol. Evol. 2021;9:767177. DOI: http://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.767177.
  25. Aronson BD, Bell-Pedersen D, Block GD, Bos NP, et al. Circadian rhythms. Brain Res. Rev. 1993;18(3):315-33. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/0165-0173(93)90015-R.
  26. Kantermann T. Circadian biology: Sleep-styles shaped by light-styles. Current Biology. 2013;23(16):R689-R690. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2013.06.065.
  27. Ticleanu C, Littlefair P. A summary of LED lighting impacts on health. Int. J. Sustain. Light. 2015;17:3-4.DOI: https://doi.org/10.26607/ijsl.v17i0.11.
  28. West KE, Jablonski MR, Warfield B, et al. Blue light from light-emitting diodes elicits a dose-dependent suppression of melatonin in humans. J. Appl. Physiol. 2011;110(3):619-26. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.01413.2009.
  29. Encyclopedia of Biodiversity. 3rd ed. Vol. 4. Academic Press; 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822562-2.00249-8.
  30. Kyba CCM, Hänelc A, Hölkera F. Redefining efficiency for outdoor lighting. Energy&Environ. Sci. 2014;7(6):1806-09. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/c4ee00566j.
  31. The European Commission. Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/2020 of 1 October 2019 laying down ecodesign requirements for light sources and separate control gears pursuant to Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Commission Regulations (EC) No 244/2009, (EC) No 245/2009 and (EU) No 1194/2012 [Internet]. [cited 2024 Apr 4]. Available from: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/2020/oj.
  32. Bará S. Light pollution and solid-state lighting: reducing the carbon dioxide footprint is not enough. In: Proc. SPIE 8785, 8th Ibero American Optics Meeting and 11th Latin American Meeting on Optics, Lasers and Applications, 87852G (18 Nov 2013). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2025344.
  33. Fotios S, Gibbons R. Road lighting research for drivers and pedestrians: The basis of luminance and illuminance recommendations. Light. Res.&Techn. 2018;50(10):154-86. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477153517739055.
  34. IALD. Joint position paper by Lighting Europe and the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) on Human Centric Lighting [Internet]. 2017 Feb [cited 2024 Apr 4]. Available from:https://www.lightingeurope.org/images/publications/position-papers/LightingEurope_and_IALD_Position_Paper_on_Human_Centric_Lighting_-_February_2017-modified_version-v2.pdf.
  35. CIE TN 003:2015. Report on the First International Workshop on Circadian and Neurophys. Photometry. 2013. Available from: https://cie.co.at/publications/report-first-international-workshop-circadian-and-neurophysiological-photometry-2013.
  36. DSTU EN 12464-2:2016. [Light and lighting. Workplace lighting. Part 2. External workplaces (EN 12464-2:2014, IDT)]. Available from: https://online.budstandart.com/ua/catalog/doc-page.html?id_doc=71839. Ukrainian.
  37. DSTU EN 13201-2:2016. [Street lighting. Part 2. Technical requirements (EN13201-2:2015, IDT)]. Availablefrom: https://online.budstandart.com/ua/catalog/doc-page?id_doc=65944. Ukrainian.
  38. DSTU EN 13201-4:2016. [Road lighting. Part 4. Methods of measuring light characteristics (EN 13201-4:2015, IDT)]. Available from: https://online.budstandart.com/ua/catalog/doc-page.html?id_doc=105538. Ukrainian.
  39. DBN V.2.5-28:2018. [Natural and artificial lighting. Approved: Order of the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Affairs of Ukraine dated 03.10.2018 No. 264 On the approval of DBN V.2.5-28:2018. Natural and lamplight]. Ukrainian.
  40. DSTU 8546:2015. [Luminaires with LED light sources. General technical conditions]. Available from: https://online.budstandart.com/ua/catalog/doc-page?id_doc=71689. Ukrainian.