Learning Experience One: Light Pollution

In my writing composition class, we have had to research a topic that interests us and write different types of papers about that topic as well as make different presentations. As an Interior Designer and a Lighting Minor, I decided to research how light affects human behavior. The more I researched this topic the more I learned about light pollution. As a future designer, it is important for me to know how to design lighting in a way that does not harm the environment, but also light the space efficiently. I never realized how many things in our environment are affected by light pollution.

I began by focusing on how human behavior was affected by light. I found that our sleeping patterns are severely affected by the amount of light we expose ourselves to. Many forms of depression are also caused by a lack of exposure to light. A disorder referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder, is a type of depression that is related to a combination of biological and mood disturbances with a seasonal pattern. In the winter months, the general population is exposed to less sunlight. This causes a mood disorder in many people, especially those living in the northern hemisphere.

I also found that light therapy, also known as bright light therapy or phototherapy, is used to treat many mood disorders and forms of depression. It exposes people to only the benefits of artificial light.

As I continued with my research, I began to acquire more of an interest in the pollution of light. I have learned how light pollution has actually caused a decrease in the population of migrating birds. With so much light in the sky, the birds' natural migrating pattern is disturbed. Light pollution is not only affecting the health of wild life but it also may be causing health problems in the human population. Ian Cheney, the producer of a documentary on light pollution, noted in an article about his film that he found a “growing body of evidence that suggests a possible connection between decreased nighttime darkness and increased risks of certain cancers and other health problems.” George Brainard, an expert in light's influence on physiology at Thomas Jefferson University, told The Huffington Post "light is a two-edged sword. Too much light at the wrong time or at the wrong intensities or wavelengths can have detrimental effects." The ebb and flow of light during the day and night triggers fluctuating levels of melatonin. The hormone regulates our circadian rhythm and peak production occurs during the night, regardless of whether or not one is asleep unless the darkness is interrupted by light. The World Health Organization announced in 2007 that the disruption of the circadian rhythm experienced by shift workers is a "probable" human carcinogen. The American Medical Association released an official statement warning of light pollution's potentially broad health hazards. Most research has focused on breast and prostate cancer, but there have been implications of increasing depression rates at the same time of increasing levels of light at night.

I feel that my new knowledge of the affect too much light can have on the environment can benefit me in my endeavors in the interior design field, as lighting design is one of the most important parts of designing a space.