Protecting Our Health and Safety The Benefits of Reducing Outdoor

11/10/20 Rapid change in our rural community.

Energy waste in Pepperell, MA in the form of Light Pollution - 2012 vs. 2019

Source: NASA VIIRS instrument (satellite), http://lightpollutionmap.info

Blue (darker) areas are disappearing, particularly in fragile ecosystems. Yellow/red (bright) areas are expanding into residential/conservation land. Pepperell, MA Light Pollution Energy Waste 2012 - 2019 (W/cm2* 700 sr)

600

500

400

300 2012 2014 2016 2018

Growing at 6%/year! 3X the national average of 2.2%/year and 6X population growth. Light pollution is bad for Pepperell’s wildlife.

Millions of birds killed/year Animals confused (migration, mating, eating)

Fireflies threatened – 2nd leading cause of 62% fewer visits by pollinators decline – ahead of pesticides! Not all LEDs are the same Blue Light causes , impacts people and wildlife alike • is measured in kelvins • The higher the kelvin, the bluer the light • 2700 K is the best, 3000K okay

Light pollution affects seniors’ sleep: Adolescents are affected too!

“…increase in ALAN was associated with 1.07 times the odds of mood disorder and 1.10 times the odds of anxiety disorder. Further analyses revealed associations with bipolar disorder, specific phobias, and major depressive disorder…” American Medical Association and Others taken strong positions on Glare and Blue-rich LED Lights Light Pollution Means:

• Glare • Skyglow • Light Trespass • Color temperature Glare Town streetlight retrofits

• Excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort • Reduces spatial detail • Temporary loss of vision • Takes elderly drivers longer to recover • Pepperell is now under contract to retrofit its street lights Light Trespass Light falling where it’s not needed - or wanted!

☺ Sky Glow Brightening of the Sky

• Wastes 50% of energy • Problem amplified by blue light scattering everywhere • Costly problem to fix! • Shielding can help solve the problem The Outdoor Bylaw A Local Solution to a Local Problem: key takeaways

• Citizen input and transparency lead to better solutions for all municipal lighting projects • Choose warm light - blue light is bad! • You can keep the lights you have now if they don’t negatively impact your neighbor • New lighting will have to follow the new rules - but good lighting will not cost more and is readily available • The Building Inspector enforces the bylaw; calling balls and strikes for both sides is transparent now • Common sense solutions: • If you’re not using it - turn it off! • Redirect your floodlights; add motion sensors, timers, dimmers to outdoor lighting • Change the bulb or add shielding References

If you would like an accessible summary on light pollution, the linked National Geographic article is a great place to start4. Regarding the effects of blue light, this presentation has summarized some key points in the Holzman article and included the diagram of the human eye and the role of newly discovered photoreceptors. 1.Kyba, C, Science Advances, “Artificially lit surface of Earth at night increasing in radiance and extent,” November 2017. https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/11/e1701528 2.Light Pollution Map, Layers: VIIRS 2012 – 2019. https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=10&lat=5261134&lon=- 7969742&layers=B0TFFFFFFFFFFFFF 3.American Medical Association, “Human and Environmental Effects of Light Emitting Diode (LED) Community Lighting,” 2016. https://www.darksky.org/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/AMA_Report_2016_60.pdf 4.National Geographic, “Our are getting brighter, and Earth is paying the price,” 2019. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/04/nights-are-getting-brighter-earth-paying-the-price-light-pollution-dark-skies/ 5.Holzman, David, Environmental Health Perspectives, “What’s in a Color? The Unique Human Health Effects of Blue Light”, January 2010. (118(1): A22-A27. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ 6.Massachusetts Municipal Association’s Exterior Lighting policy document: (link here: https://41g41s33vxdd2vc05w415s1e- wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/MMA_Best_Practices_vol5no2_2020.pdf). 7. Jin-young Min, PhD and Kyoung-bok Min, PhD, Journal of clinical Sleep Medicine, “light and Use of Hypnotic Medications in Older Adults: A Population Based Cohort Study” http://dx.doi.org?10.5664/jcsm.7490. 8. Paksarian, Rudolph, Stapp et al, JAMA Psychiatry, “Association of Outdoor Artificial Light at Night With Mental Disorders and Sleep Patterns Among US Adolescents”, Jama Psychiatry, July, 2020. http://doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.1935. © 2003 Todd Carlson