Some Harmful Effects of Light Pollution
Light pollution is the flow of excess light produced by humans at night. This light comes from artificial sources. In addition to sunlight during the day and moonlight at night, additional artificial light is needed to perform normal human activities. And this artificial light can be generated in different ways, such as electric. From the other watt bulbs, torch lights, streetlamp billboards, or car headlights we use every day. Moreover, there are various artificial sources powered by kerosene and diesel.
We have two types of light pollution in this world. The first is a point source, and the second is a skyglow. Suppose you are sitting in a village without light and looking at the city sky; from there, you will see the sky on the horizon being illuminated. It looks like a sack that encloses with a drawstring, in fact, but not in reality.
This point in the sky is illuminated because the combined and frozen effect of point source lighting spreads through the atmosphere. Due to which the sky can be seen in an enlightened state. In the time of our ancestors or even a hundred years ago, if we looked at the night sky, we could see the starry sky. Now millions of children worldwide never get the chance to see the galaxy they live in. The only reason for this is light pollution.
The effects of artificial light or extra light at night are not only our perception of the universe. It is harming our environment, existence, security, energy, and health, which we do not even understand.
Harmful effects of light pollution
There is no way to take the effects of light pollution lightly at all. Light pollution has a direct impact on various elements of the environment. Let’s look at some of the harmful effects of light pollution.
1. Light pollution has a direct effect on human sleep. We have a hormone called melatonin in our body, which directly controls our sleep. This hormone is secreted in our body, mainly in the dark of night. This hormone regulates body temperature and reduces inflammation. Melatonin secretion is required for adequate sleep.
But light pollution disrupts melatonin secretion. The artificial light we use at night, especially in blue light LED lights, reduces melatonin secretion. As a result, we gradually begin to have sleep problems. Problems like insomnia, headaches, fatigue, anxiety, mental turmoil, etc., start to appear gradually.
2. Breast cancer is currently a significant disorder in women. And one of the causes of this breast cancer is decreased melatonin secretion. Therefore, the excess of artificial light increases the risk of breast cancer. A survey by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Environmental Health Service found that artificial light at night was responsible for breast cancer. And because of this, women who work night shifts have a higher risk of breast cancer.
3. The presence of light and darkness directly affects various physiological functions from the preparation of plant food. Due to light pollution, the plant stomata remain open even at night. As a result, the plant loses its essential sap in vapour.
4. We know that the flowering and fruiting of different seasonal plants depends on the length of day and night, in simple terms, the durability of light and darkness. But as the amount and presence of artificial light in light pollution increases, so does the length of dark times and daylight. As a result, flower and fruit production of plants is being disrupted.
5. many plants are pollinated at night. In the dark of night, different insects swarm and pollinate. The presence of artificial light hinders the movement of these insects at night, which is also reducing the pollination of plants.
Light pollution is not to be avoided as much as it is to be taken lightly. Its effects are somewhat slow, so we are not so severe in most cases. But in terms of harmful effects, it is in no way inferior to other contaminants. If we are not aware, we will face many terrible dangers shortly.