Creating modern outdoor lighting systems makes it much easier to navigate around various objects at night, but sometimes it happens that a designer's error creates a characteristic phenomenon, i.e. light pollution.
What is light pollution?
It is called excessive amount of artificial light into the environment. It is most commonly found in large groups of people, especially in more developed countries, such as the United States and European Union countries. In the EU, around 96% of the population lives in areas where the night sky is not darker than the moon (square - that is, half of the moon is visible). This phenomenon is hardly surprising, as there must be light on almost every road, and numerous advertising banners would not be such a profitable investment if they were not illuminated at night. The scale of pollution is enormous, therefore its example is often given next to its chemical effect on the atmosphere, soil and water.
Even a small light glow can have an environmental impact, but the pollution in question is particularly criticized by inappropriate lighting design at the site. It is mainly about too bright light which is simply not needed. Another problem is the inadequate cover and wrong orientation of the luminaires, which illuminates the surface that does not require it. It has an impact not only on the environment but also on people. A simple example is lamps located on the street, close to apartment windows. When the luminaire is not well shielded, very strong light starts to fall into the living room (windows are often closer to the bulb than the road/pavement below it). A frequent problem is also turning on the lighting when it is not needed (e.g. setting outdoor luminaires to operate from 5:00 p.m., when sunset only at 7:00 p.m.).
There is a reason why eyesight is considered the most important of the senses.
What does this have to do with this phenomenon?
People have been active during the day for thousands of years, while at night they rested and did not often leave their buildings. Thanks to this, every person had an almost identical lifestyle in terms of going to sleep and getting up. Each subsequent era, however, introduced improvements in the field of lighting the environment, thanks to which the aforementioned lifestyle began to shift. In 2007 it was proved that light pollution can interfere with:
- the human circadian cycle, which in some cases leads to excessive stress
- insomnia
- feeling anxious
- poorer immunity.
This is related to the production of melatonin at night. In Greenland, research was conducted on suicides in the context of the season. Initially, it was assumed that the highest rate would occur during the polar night, however, it turned out that the peak results were recorded during the polar day. This is of course an extreme example, but it proves the harmfulness of light pollution.
It should be noted that it is impossible to completely limit the night light. However, light pollution can still be reduced. This is not only conducive to the comfort and health of people, but also to ecology and the budget, because the creation of accurate lighting systems will reduce the costs associated with lower energy consumption.
The outdoor luminaires proposed by our company are resistant to harmful factors, and they consume very little electricity. Moreover, they are designed by professionals. They shine only in the area chosen by the client. We offer not only products, but also a lighting design for a given area, thanks to which the phenomenon of light pollution will be reduced to a minimum. Our lamps have different powers, so too strong a bulb will not be a problem anymore. We especially recommend the Corona Basic , which is compatible with PN-EN 13201 standard.