Blue light has already been found to disrupt sleep cycles and circadian rhythms, and prolonged exposure can contribute to eyesight problems and even loss. A new study between multiple institutions in China has found that repeated exposure to blue light may potentially cause a number of depressive symptoms. 

Light pollution causes more harm than simply ruining the view during a starry night. A new study has found that clownfish can’t raise any young when exposed to artificial light. 

The study observed 10 pairs of clownfish, with each pair in their own tank. Half of the clownfish couples experienced light as they would in a natural coral reef, with 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. 

The other half of the clownfish were exposed to a low level of artificial light at night to mimic the light pollution from an average coastal town. 

Harmful blue light is not just a threat to light pollution and sleeping habits. New safety guidelines from the American Petroleum Institute (API) suggests that light sources that disrupt circadian rhythms should be minimized. 

“Blue light” refers to a specific wavelength within the spectrum of visible light that appears blue or violet. Compared to other colors like red, orange, and yellow, blue light has a much shorter wavelength, meaning it produces higher amounts of energy. 

The Dark-Sky Movement is a worldwide campaign to reduce light pollution. The movement's goal is to decrease light pollution in order to preserve the natural night sky. 

Since our initial discovery of light pollution, amateur and professional astronomers alike have worked towards protecting the night sky. Faced with the unstoppable expansion of urbanization, astronomers began making efforts to reduce the effects of city lighting and skyglow. Today, the movement is stronger than ever and continues to fight for more responsible lighting practices. 

Did you know that light pollution has a substantially harmful impact on wildlife? For billions of years, all plants and animals have developed definitive rhythms based on the unchanging day, night, and seasonal cycles. These rhythms dictate crucial animal behaviors such as sleeping, reproduction, and predation. Within the last hundred years, however, these cycles have been drastically disrupted by the growth of humanity’s artificial night-time lighting. 

We recently investigated how everyday consumption of blue light impacts humans. Emphasizing the health risks of overexposure, we saw how LEDs can suppress blue light’s detrimental impact on humans.  In this post, we will explore how plants are affected by changes in the electromagnetic spectrum. With advancements in LED technology and increased spectral control, we can observe how colored light (specifically blue light) contributes towards plant growth and flowering. 

Although the use of blue light is an excellent solution to provide environmentally friendly lighting, it also poses a large number of health risks and disadvantages for humans. Before the creation of artificial lighting, overexposure to blue light was never an issue. Now, thanks to newer lighting technologies, our evenings and nights are flooded with illumination. As a result, excessive quantities of blue light and poor lighting, in general, can pose threats such as: