LED street lighting leads to more accidents and harms our health

Medical experts warn: LED street lights dazzle and affect our brains
People all over the world are trying to protect the environment and reduce energy consumption. For this reason, more and more countries change the lamps in their street lamps. The yellow shining lamps are replaced by LEDs with white light. Doctors now warn that this change could be at the expense of our health. The LED light can lead to more road traffic accidents. In addition, the light affects the release of melatonin in our brain.

The scientists from the American Medical Association (AMA) found in their study that the light from LED lamps affects our eyesight in traffic. In addition, the release of melatonin in our brain is altered. This creates dangers to our health. The AMA experts have now published a guide to clarify the dangers of LED street lighting.

More and more street lighting is being converted to LED lamps. However, this creates dangers for our brains and road traffic. (Image: Haz / fotolia.com)

LED lanterns lead to more dangers in traffic
To reduce energy consumption around the world, more and more old street lights are replaced by LED lights. This light appears white to the human eye and can lead to worse glare than the old yellowish light, the researchers warn. By influencing our eyesight, more dangers would arise in traffic, the experts speculate.

LED light affects the release of melatonin in the brain
The LED street lighting works on a wavelength that suppresses in our brain the release of melatonin at night, which usually causes us to get tired faster and fall asleep, explain the authors of the AMA. For example, the substance is often used for the effective treatment of sleep disorders.

Smartphones and tablets are already being switched to a yellowish nightlight
The problem with the LED street lights is similar to the concerns about the blue light that is emitted by smartphones and tablets and affects the sleep pattern among users, explain the authors. Several manufacturers have already installed a yellowish nightlight function in their devices to counteract the problem.

Guidelines should ensure that optimal designs are used
Despite the benefits of energy efficiency, some types of LED lights are detrimental to health when used as street lighting. Maya A Babu from the AMA. The scientists from the American Medical Association try to influence this important topic through their guidelines so that the optimal design of our street lighting is used when the lamps are switched to LED lighting. This is the only way to avoid harmful effects on our health and the environment, the experts add. (As)