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Researchers are beginning to understand that there are serious impacts of light pollution.

What is light pollution? Light Pollution is the popular name for the bright glow visible in the night sky.

What causes it? While the need for outdoor nighttime lighting for public safety and convenience is clear, most light pollution is caused by inefficient and undirected light sources. More efficient lighting systems will help address safety concerns related to nighttime lighting while also helping with the increasingly important goal of energy conservation. In the interest of reducing glare and improving safety, security, and visual acuity after dark, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America has lowered their recommended illumination levels for the nighttime environment.

Impacts on Birds: Many species of songbirds migrate at night, when predators retire. These birds depend upon stars and other features for navigation. Records of migrating songbirds (primarily warblers) being attracted to bright light sources during periods of low clouds, fog and rain have been well documented. Excess light pollution has been implicated in increased risk of fatal collision hazards to migrating birds. In fact, according to the November 2000 issue of Architecture Magazine, Chicago's Hancock Center doused its ornamental nighttime lighting to save the nearly 1,500 birds that - nightly - met abrupt death when they crashed into the tower during migration season, mistaking its illumination for stars or the moon. Light pollution in sensitive areas may also increase risk of nocturnal predation on such species as Piping Plovers and Least Terns.

Impacts on other Flora and Fauna: Beyond the hazards to migrating birds, excess human produced light may also disrupt the natural circadian rhythms of animals and plants, and may contribute to algae blooms on lakes.

Human Impacts: Excess nighttime lighting has been shown to have human health affects, due largely to disruption of natural circadian rhythms. Circadian disruption may be an important cause of endocrine disruption in humans. The resulting reduction in nighttime melatonin production is now thought to be a possible contributor to the high rate of breast cancer in industrialized societies (Stevens and Rea, 2001¹). Excess nighttime lighting also interferes with normal sleep patterns, causing chronic fatigue, depression, and reproductive anomalies.

Impact on Nature Education: Light pollution severely restricts opportunities for nature education programs focusing on astronomy. According to the January 2002 issue of Audubon Magazine, a recent study revealed that the Milky Way can no longer be seen by two thirds of the world's population. This means that whole generations of children in the cities and suburbs are growing up without being able to see the night sky full of thousands of stars. The problem of light pollution was brought to the forefront in 1996 when the Comet Hyakutake made a spectacular appearance in our skies. Observers lucky enough to view the comet from a dark location were treated to a comet that stretched for nearly half of the length of the sky, one of the most impressive astronomical events any of us is likely to view in our lifetimes. Urban and suburban residents were left wondering what the hype was all about. Audubon strives to incorporate astronomy as part of our environmental education curriculum, however even at our sanctuaries, we currently have to contend with a sky that is brightly illuminated by nearby highways, buildings and other sources.

What needs to be done? The Connecticut General Assembly can take steps to reduce the impacts of light pollution on people, wildlife and plants in the state by:

• Regulating the types of fixtures used for night lighting, especially in state owned buildings, to reduce glare and ensure that light is directed only where and when needed.
• Funding for more efficient outdoor light fixtures by designating replacement of streetlights with more efficient and effective fixtures as qualified programs under the Neighborhood Assistance Act and the State’s Energy Conservation Fund.
• Requiring the development of a statewide plan to reduce light pollution.

For more information:

New England Light Pollution Advisory Group on the web at: http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/cfa/ps/nelpag.html

New Jersey Light Pollution Study Commission Report, call 609-292-4840.

Summary of Papers
The International Symposium on Light, Endocrine Systems and Cancer
May 2 - 3, 2002
University of Cologne, Germany

Review Articles
Potential biological consequences of excessive light exposure: melatonin suppression, DNA damage, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Russell J. Reiter, Neuroendocrinology Letters 2002; 23(suppl2): 9-13.

The physics of light and sunlight. Sidney Perkowitz, Neuroendocrinology Letters 2002; 23(suppl2): 14-16.

The light-dark regimen and cancer development. Vladimir N. Anisimov, Neuroendocrinology Letters 2002; 23(suppl2): 28-36.

Endocrine modulation and the fragile balance of homeostasis – an overview. Gunter Vollmer, Susanne Starcke, Jannette Wober and Oliver Zierau, Neuroendocrinology Letters 2002; 23(suppl2): 37-42.

Endocrine dismodulation and cancer. Christopher J. Portier, Neuroendocrinology Letters 2002; 23(suppl2): 43-47.

Epidemiology of skin cancer. Roland Boni, Christian Schuster, Britta Nehrhoff, Gunther Burg, Neuroendocrinology Letters 2002; 23(suppl2): 48-51.

Original Articles
Ocular input for human melatonin regulation: relevance to breast cancer. Gena Glickman, Robert Levin, George C. Brainard, Neuroendocrinology Letters 2002; 23(suppl2):17-22.

Biological rhythms in the context of light at night (LAN). Alexander Lerchi, Neuroendocrinology Letters 2002; 23(suppl2): 23-27.

Light during darkness, melatonin suppression and cancer progression. David E. Blask, Robert T. Dauchy, Leonard A. Sauer, Jean A. Krasuse and George C. Brainard, Neuroendocrinology Letters 2002; 23(suppl2): 52-56.

Lighting during the day and night: possible impact on risk of breast cancer. Richard G. Stevens, Neuroendocrinology Letters 2002; 23(suppl2): 57-60.

Does light cause internal cancers – the problems and challenge of an ubiquitous exposure. Thomas C. Erren, Neuroendocrinology Letters 2002; 23(suppl2): 61-70.

Editorials
Light, endocrine systems and cancer: facts and research perspectives. Thomas C. Erren and Clauss Piekarski, editors. Neuroendocrinology Letters 2002; 23(suppl2).

The darkness at the end of the tunnel: summary and evaluations of an international symposium on light, endocrine systems and cancer. Charles Poole, Neuroendocrinology Letters 2002; 23(suppl2): 71-78.

Comments on the International Symposium on Light, Endocrine Systems and Cancer. Christopher Portier, Neuroendocrinology Letters 2002; 23(suppl2): 79-81.

Light, endocrine systems and cancer – a view from circadian biologists. Till Roennenberg and Robert J. Lucas. Neuroendocrinology Letters 2002; 23(suppl2): 82-83.

Light, endocrine systems and cancer – a meeting report. Vladimir N. Anisimov and Johnni Hansen, Neuroendocrinology Letters 2002; 23(suppl2): 84-87.

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¹Light in the Built Environment: Potential Role of Circadian Disruption in Endocrine Disruption and Breast Cancer, Richard G. Stevens and Mark S. Rea, Cancer Causes and Control 12:279-87, 2001. Mr. Stevens is with the UCONN Health Center, Dept. of Community Medicine and Mr. Rea is with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Lighting Research Center in Troy, N.Y.

Audubon Connecticut, an operating unit of the National Audubon Society with
over 13,000 members in the state, works to protect birds, other wildlife
and their habitats through education, research, conservation and legislative advocacy.