[EQAB-list] Fwd: [ORIONastronomy] Health issues from blue light exposure, 2-4 AM

Sun Aug 2 12:42:04 EDT 2009

Colleages,

FYI, the astronmers hosted a "bad lighting shoot out" yesterday,   
plinking poorly designed fixtures with water balloons and marshmallows.

pls page down to the double-quoted paragraphs.

This goes to the Dark Skies measures, which (lucky for EQAB) are one   
of the simpler ways to achieve cost savings for the City, plus energy   
and carbon reductions per ICLEI. The key to acceptance is to implement  
  the changeover as part of the *normal schedule of replacement*. If I  
  recall correctly, the City spends about $150K on electricity for  
street lights. Knoxville spends about a megabuck and a half, so the  
Oak Ridge  number seems about right.

"Full cutoff" means no light emitted above the plane of the fixture.   
Compared to an unshielded bulb, a full cutoff fixture saves half the   
energy obviously. Compared to a typical 400-watt "cobra-head" fixture,  
  a full cutoff fixture would save about one-third the energy.  
Switching  to 90-degree cones saves a remarkable five-sixths of the  
energy  compared to an unshield fixture, and well over half compared  
to the  typical cobra-head. Also, a 200-watt bulb is somewhat cheaper  
to buy  than a 400-watt bulb.

The carbon impact is bigger than you think, because streetlighting   
uses the cheapest off-peak electricity, about a nickel per kWh, maybe   
less. Recall that 1 kWh = 1 kg of CO2, given the USA's current fuel   
mix. Saving $75K or $100K of the City's nightime electric consumption   
works out to 1.5-2M kWh, or 1500-2000 metric tons of CO2.

Everyone I know loathes those lights shining into their bedrooms at  
night, so I suspect this particualr conservation / CO2 reduction  
measure would actually be kinda popular.

-- 
Robert G Kennedy III, PE
www.ultimax.com

----- Forwarded message from fieldsde at aol.com -----
     Date: Sat, 1 Aug 2009 12:09:20 EDT
     From: fieldsde at aol.com
Reply-To: ORIONastronomy at yahoogroups.com
  Subject: [ORIONastronomy] Arrival at TAO. Health issues from blue   
light exposure, 2-4 AM
       To: SaveRoaneStarrySkies at yahoogroups.com,   
ORIONastronomy at yahoogroups.com, smokymtnastro at yahoogroups.com
       Cc: TAO-News at yahoogroups.com

Astronomers,

I'll go to TAO at 3 PM (1500 h) today to open up, and have a lot of  stuff
to setup. The crowd will probably arrive from 1830- 1930 for the  programs
and stargaze. Please try to arrive before 7:00 PM (1900 h) with food,
telescopes, red lights, etc. and contribute to a fun evening.

Most importantly, please DON'T arrive between 8:00 PM (2000  h) and 9:00 PM
(2100 h) unless you want to participate in 2-way traffic flow on  the
narrow road.

You'll be at home at TAO, so please encourage and help educate our
visitors. Help them understand astronomy and good vs. bad lighting.   
I'll attach  a
portion of Dr. Pauley's recent email about medical consequences of blue
light  exposure between 2:00 and 4:00 AM.

Dark and Starry Skies,
David Fields
_www.roanestate.edu/obs_ (http://www.roanestate.edu/obs)

..

Excerpt from Dr. Pauley's note:

>> If engineers can re-set their thinking to move away from  uniformity-
>> the irrational mind set that says every inch of pavement  between
>> fixtures must be flooded with photons - we'd be  there.
>> Allowing any light to shine above 90 degrees from the  base
>> of a level lamp is adding to energy waste, glare, and sky  glow
>>
>> Human Health Issues
>> The human retina has  20 times the number of rods than cones.
>> We have evolved to see well  in low light situations. Our
>> scotopic vision (rods) works well, but  only if not insulted
>> by glare.
>>
>> We now know  that a 3rd light sensing mechanism exists in
>> the retina which senses  blue light, regulates our biological
>> clocks to a day-night rhythm,  and regulates the secretion
>> of melatonin from the pineal gland. Since  melatonin is a
>> cancer inhibiting hormone, we must not interfere with  its
>> production between 2 and 4 AM. Unshielded street  lighting
>> will do that. Therefore proper outdoor lighting should be  considered
>> a PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE. The AMA recognized  this
>> at their 2009 convention and recommends fully  shielded
>> lights.
>>
>> Graveyard shift workers have  higher incidences of breast
>> and colorectal cancers. In response to  this in 2007, the World
>> Health Organization listed shift work as a  "probable carcinogen".
>>
>> Solution: Simply keep the existing  IESNA cutoff classifications and
>> recommend full cutoff fixtures for  all outdoor lighting. With less
>> wasted light through the use of well  targeted light, one may
>> use lower wattage lamps = energy savings.  This is the KISS
>> principle. It's understood by all, is easily  implemented, and
>> protects the public's health by eliminating light  trespass
>> into  bedrooms.
>>
>> Sincerely
>> Stephen M Pauley  MD
>> Ketchum, Idaho

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