are led street lights damaging your health? doctors warn the bright lamps could cause sleep problems - solar street lighting system
To save energy, led cold white light around the world is replacing the warm yellow light of street lamps.
But it's going to come at a cost, and doctors warn that they may affect our sleep and vision and thus our health.
This month, the American Medical Association adopted new guidelines aimed at reducing the potential health hazards of "improper" LED lighting.
The guide is designed to help local governments across the United States choose LED street lights to minimize the harm to the environment and human health.
AMA board member Dr. Maya Babu said in a statement that despite the benefits of energy efficiency, some LED lights are harmful when used as street lights.
Medical experts believe that the blue light emitted by white LEDs may be too much, which may affect the eyesight and sleep.
According to AMA, Blue
Rich LED lighting may disrupt sleep by suppressing melatonin and interfering with the body's circadian rhythm-the body's natural 24 hours-
The cycle of one hour affects sleep.
The association claims that the impact of white LED lights may be five times that of traditional street lights.
In writing for this conversation, Professor Richard Stevens of Connecticut University said that the new guidelines mainly affect lighting at night and affect "color temperature"-a measure of blue, green, the yellow and red colors in the light source do not exceed 3,000 Kelvin.
Higher ratings indicate more blue light and brighter white light.
Professor Stevens wrote: "The White LED with CT 4,000 K or 5,000 K contains a high level of short-
Blue light of wavelength;
For some cities that have recently transformed street lights, such as Seattle and New York, this is their choice.
"These values are much higher than incandescent lamps that may have a color temperature of 2,400 K.
AMA also highlighted the potential of glare caused by LED street lights and suggested reducing the blue wavelength.
In order to reduce energy consumption, LED street lamps have been launched all over the UK.
With thousands of street lights starting to convert to LED, the launch has begun.
London is also moving, with 12 thousand LED lights installed in Parliament such as Lambeth.
The London traffic test of LED street lights reported that people's response was basically positive, but it also recorded how people were dazzled by the lights.
Mail online contacted the British Medical Association to comment, but the organization said it currently has no official policy position on LED lighting and no plans to issue guidance immediately.
Professor Stevens said: "There is almost never a completely satisfactory solution to a complex problem.
"We must have lights at night, not only in our homes and businesses, but also outdoor lighting on our streets.
"The demand for energy efficiency is serious, but it also minimizes the risk of poor human light due to glare and circadian disruption.