This type of pollution is little known in many countries and for this reason, the planet is now faced with the disastrous consequences it produces.
It can be seen in the increased brightness of the night sky caused by the diffusion and reflection of artificial light, an effect that produces little visibility of the stars and celestial objects.
In industrialized countries, 98 percent of the population is exposed to the effects of light pollution.
Causes of light pollution
The main cause of light pollution is the misuse of artificial light in streetlights, projectors, spotlights, lamps, etc., which let a large part of their luminous flux escape into the sky.
Excessive lighting generates energy and CO2 costs in the ecosystem. This generates pollution and scarcity of energy resources.
Another cause of pollution is the ignorance and lack of awareness of people’s people who do not save energy consumption light and abuse illuminating spaces that are not transited at home or in populated places.
Effects
The effects produced by light pollution affect not only human beings but also the flora and fauna exposed to it.
In the case of humans, it can have the following negative health effects:
- Migraine.
- Hormonal imbalances.
- Reduction of melatonin production in the body; hormone responsible for growth in the body.
- Alteration of the biological clock.
In animals and plants produces the following consequences:
- Incidence in the natural growth of plants.
- Alteration of the life cycle of nocturnal animals.
- Alteration of the biodiversity of the species.
- Changes in the reproduction cycles of marine animals.
- Modification of the natural behaviour of birds and produces alterations in their migrations and reproductive cycles.
In addition to these negative effects, it should be noted that it also affects the astronomical study of the sky, generates many economic costs, climate change and the energy crisis worldwide.
Prevention
In order to prevent light pollution, several awareness campaigns have been generated for the best use of electric light. Some of the most suggested recommendations for the prevention of this type of pollution are:
- Turn on the light only when necessary and turn it off in places where no one requires it.
- In parties and celebrations, it is important to close the curtains to not affect with our light to the neighbors.
- Use low pressure sodium bulbs. These are more durable and generate less impact in the sky.
- Try to perform daily activities during the day to lower eye pressure and have a better visualization without using artificial light.
- Promote this type of information to raise public awareness and avoid light pollution.
- Avoid the use of light or laser cannons in the sky.
Types of light pollution
Within the different types of light pollution, we can mention the following:
- Diffusion of artificial light projected into the sky. When the lanterns are not well focused towards the sky, a large amount of light is scattered, causing the light emitted by the stars to diminish. This affects the ecosystem and generates problems in astronomical observatories.
- Invasive light. The external lighting of streets, avenues and urban areas, not being focused directly towards the ground or being in very high lanterns, tends to enter through the windows of houses and this intrusive light generates light pollution.
- Glare. Excessive or sudden lighting produces difficulty in the vision of pedestrians, drivers and animals.
- Homogeneous illumination. This refers to spaces that have many illuminations of different intensities.
Examples of light pollution
There are many examples of the presence of light pollution worldwide. As an example, the following cases can be mentioned:
- Streetlights in balloon-shaped streets emit light in all directions. They generate light pollution that affects the ecosystem.
- Light cannons used in outdoor shows are another example of light pollution, in open spaces affecting the environment.
- Light projectors located on street pavements focus their light on the sky.
- Heavily lit advertisements also disturb vision and the ecosystem.
