1. LIGHT POLLUTION
ISSUES AND ANSWERS
Steve Pauley MD
Ketchum, Idaho

3. 2/3 of the US population
and
1/5 of the world can no longer see the Milky way.

4. 99% of the population in the lower 48 and the EU live in areas where the night sky is above threshold set for polluted status.

5. 6

7. The Cost of Throwing Away Electricity
The USA spends over $1.5 billion per year in energy costs from wasted light.
= 6 million tons of coal or
= 23 million barrels of oil per year

8. Light Pollution Is the Easiest Type of Pollution to Fix.
Reduce It, Shield It, & Shine It Down.
Light the Subject & Hide the Source.
Follow IESNA rec. levels.

9. Light Pollution
Outdoor lighting currently stands as one of the most inefficient uses of energy today.
30 to 50% of all light pollution is produced by roadway lighting that shines wasted light upwards and outwards. 5

10. Light Pollution
We wouldn’t allow 30 to 50% of water from a hose to escape onto the pavement un-used. We wouldn’t run our electric heaters in winter with the windows wide open. 5

11. Light Pollution
Then why do we allow 30 to 50% of light photons from outdoor lighting escape into space?
We throw away electricity. 5

12. Three Million Years of Dark Adaptation
The same eyes we have today allowed our ancestors to live and hunt at night by the light of the moon and stars.
Let’s be allowed to use our eyes at night.

13. Human Eye At Night 250 million years ago:
Evolution of the human eye’s binocular vision began with the appearance of mammals
Smaller noses and less sense of smell; Better eyes with acute vision and depth of field 1

14. Human Eye At Night Two million years ago:
Early man huddled around the light of fires on the African savanna
500,000 years ago:
Homo erectus used fire to cook food (China digs) 1

15. Human Eye At Night 150,000 years ago:
Homo sapiens used fire for cooking and warmth. They used the same eyes we have today to navigate, hunt, cook, eat, and give birth under the light of the moon and stars
20,000 years ago:
Homo sapiens used shallow stone candles fueled with animal fat and with wicks of plant matter. Stone candles enabled stick figure art work on cave walls (France) 1

16. Evolution of Light Pollution
3000 BC: first candles
Greeks, Romans through the middle ages: oil lamps
1784: hollow wicks used for brighter light
Early colonists: fish & whale oil lamps 2

17. Evolution Of Light Pollution
1800’s: kerosene lamps
1801: first electric lamp -carbon arc lamp. Sir Humphrey Davy
1879: incandescent lamp. Thomas Edison & Sir Joseph swan

18. Evolution Of Light Pollution
1930’s: Mercury vapor (terrible beginnings)
1939: Fluorescent
1940: PAR lamps
1950’s: Tungsten Halogen
The End of Night
1960’s: Metal Halide and HPS
1980’s Compact fluorescents (good – energy savers)
1990’s Electrodless (Induction) lamps
2000’s: Lighting designers run amok - laser shows; bridge lighting; tower lighting; beacons on buildings

19. We have the same eyes now that they
had then.

20. Thomas Edison
Edison’s electric light in 1879 resulted, over time, in forming an industry dedicated to selling the public the idea that the more outdoor light, the better.

21. Today’s Lighting Industry
Harsh lighting is sold in the name of “security,” but more often it is used for advertising, and to sell bigger and brighter lighting fixtures.
It has proven to be a visual insult to the human eye, and has gradually stolen the night away.

22. Space Needle
Seattle, WA
Lighting
designers run
amok

23. Steve’s Fundamental Laws of Light Pollution
First law:
Without local lighting ordinances, bad lighting gets progressively worse
Second law:
A. Light pollution is directly proportional to improvements in lighting technology, and
B. Inversely proportional to an awareness of the issues at the local level – city planners can reverse the trend 4

24. Steve’s Fundamental Laws of Light Pollution
Examples:
Progressive eye insults beginning with incandescent bulbs, then HID lamps, then schemes to light up cities and bridges 4

25. Evolution of light pollution
In Los Angeles
1908

26. 1998
What will we look like in 2098?

27. TYPES OF LIGHT POLLUTION
Glare
Light Trespass
Sky Glow
Air pollution
Energy waste
Confusion and clutter

29. Types of Light Pollution
Glare
Light that beams directly into your eye
from an annoying light fixture
Blinding glare: gas stations, theater effect
Disability glare: scattering of light – elderly with cataracts
Discomfort glare: annoyance, fatigue 7

30. Light Trespass When Light Crosses Property Lines
The Spillover of Light Where It’s Unwanted and Unneeded
Light Trespass: a Neighbor’s Unwelcome Light Can Reduce the Value of One’s Property.

31. Light Trespass

32. Skyglow lights up birds and planes

33. Types of Light Pollution
Air pollution: greenhouse gasses from fossil fuel power plants
Light confusion and clutter: too many
kinds of different fixtures and colors of light 7

34. GLARE Gas Stations Glare is never good Good on left, bad on right
Who is “safe” here?

35. Can you find the “bad guy?”
This tree is “safe”
Glare lighting does not
allow the eye to see into
the shadows

36. The acorn trap
They look their best
in daylight.

37. Original globes had soft,
incandescent lights
Today’s globes and
Acorns have glare producing
HID lamps (hps, mh)

38. Globes and acorns light the trees better
than the ground

39. Glare from acorn light

40. No lighting awards here
Turning night into day
while insulting the eye
with glare

41. What Is Good Lighting?
It lights for the human eye using only the amount of light needed (follow the IESNA guidelines). 8

42. Good Lighting It lights the subject and hides the light source (lamp).
It provides adequate light for the intended task, but never over lights. 8

43. Good Lighting It uses fully shielded light fixtures.
It minimizes adverse impacts (light trespass) on adjacent property.
It uses high efficiency lamps while considering the color and quality as essential design criteria.

44. Illuminance: The perceived brightness measured in candelas/sq meter.
The visual effect that luminance produces.
Measured in Footcandles = lumens/sq foot
Or Lux = lumens/sq meter

45. Illuminance Foot-candles (fc)= lumens / sq foot. We use fc in the USA
Lux = lumens/sq meter
A local gas station’s lights peak at 270 fc = over 10,000 times the light from a full moon. The IESNA minimum safe light levels for an urban gas station = 10 fc; rural = 5 fc
Lighting ordinances should specify limits in lumens not watts 9

46. Lumens And Watts Idaho Power residential now about 5.7 cents/kwh
A watt = one joule per sec., Or a current of one amp. Under an electrical pressure of one volt.
Idaho Power residential now about 5.7 cents/kwh
USA’s avg. Rate = 8 cents/kWh.
A lumen = a unit of luminous flux or a measure of the intrinsic brightness of a lamp. (An isotropic point source of luminous intensity of 1 candela emits one lumen into a unit solid angle of one steradian (sr), or 4 pi lumens on the spherical surface surrounding the point source).

47. A Light’s Efficiency Is Measured in Lumens Per Watt 70 Watt Incandescent Bulb = Lumens 70 Watt High Pressure Sodium Lamp = Lumens Watt Incandescent Bulb = Lumens 15 Watt Compact Fluorescent Bulb = Lumens Lighting Levels Are Best Expressed in Lumens, Not Watts. All HID Lamps Today (HPS, LPS, MH, MV) Are Over 1800 Lumens

48. Light Sources, Watts, and Lumens
Source Watts Lumens Life Lu/W
Incandescent , hrs 17
Tung-Halogen ,000 2,
Comp. Fluorescent , ,
Merc. Vapor , ,
Metal Halide , ,
Metal Halide , ,
HPS ,
HPS , ,
LPS , ,
Street lights are on 4100 hrs/year.
HPS & LPS lamps will last 5.8 yrs

49. Pole Heights and Lumen Limits
Pole Height Lumens
6ft (Incandescent, PAR,
8ft fluorescent, halogen)
10ft
12ft
16ft (begin HID lamps)
20ft
24ft
28ft
32ft
36ft
40ft

51. Useful Reference Levels for Foot-candle Values
1. Full moon fc
2. Living room fc
3. Sitting at my computer fc
4. Schools fc
5. AAA league baseball park fc
6. Today’s gas stations fc
7. Jewelers counter fc
8. Operating table light fc
9. Sunlight ,000 fc 13

52. Native Hog Steelhead -- Steve Smith
Salmon River near Stanley April 2000

53. The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.
IESNA =
The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.
Sets Minimum Foot-candle Levels Needed to Provide for Safety and Security for Specific Situations, I.E. Parking Lots, Walkways, Roadways, Gas Stations, Etc. 14

54. IESNA
Recommended
Practices (RP)
Publications

55. Full Cutoff Shielding Essential remedy for glare and skyglow
No light rays from the fixture go above the horizontal
At least 90 percent of light is blocked in the near-sideways range from 0 to 20 degrees below the horizontal

57. $35 Sky Cap
shield placed to cut glare, trespass, & skyglow
Typical 175 w mv
unshielded yard light

58. Recessed canopy lights
Yes. Big Oil can do these canopies

60. Aluminum shielding over canopy lights

61. Security Issues

62. SECURITY More than meets the eye i.e. not just glare lighting
More light
does not =
better security.
Security =
effective, non-
glare lighting.

63. Lighting and Safety More light does not equate to better, safer light.
You can have less but more efficient lighting and not compromise safety at all.

64. We’re Not Saying Let’s Turn Out All the Lights.
Glare From Poor Lighting Allows Criminals to Hide in Dark Shadows. Shielded, Non Glare Lighting Allows One to See in the Shadows.
We’re Not Saying Let’s Turn Out All the Lights.
Lighting for Security Means Effective, Shielded, Non Glare Lighting That Meets the IESNA Minimum Light Levels. 15

65. Lighting and Crime A complex issue
No study proves that more light decreases crime
More light does give people the feeling of more security 11

66. Lighting and Crime Most crimes take place during the day
Two congressional crime task forces (1979 & 1997) found no relationship between lighting and crime
“There are simply no good scientific studies that convincingly show the relationship between lighting and crime.” - (Ref - IDA information sheet 42; 4/98) 11

67. Crime Deterrents at Night:
Best: dog (pit bull?)
Next best: shielded, infrared motion detector flood lights combined with a video camera. Some schools have gone dark, used this system, and vandalism has decreased

68. Total solar eclipse
Zimbabwe
June 21, 2001

69. LIGHTNG ORDINANCES

70. Enhances the quality of life for all.
Why an Ordinance?
Enhances the quality of life for all.
Sets a uniform code for all outdoor lighting.
Architects don’t need to guess what
what you want – saves them time and
the client’s $$$.
Enhances safety and security by reducing glare
Reduces light pollution.

71. Allows redress for citizens exposed to a
neighbor’s bad light
It can lead to cost savings

72. Without Lighting Ordinances, the Bad Practices of the Last 100 Years Will Simply Escalate in the Name of Economic Progress and “Safety.”

73. 12 Points For A Good Lighting Ordinance
1. Promote good lighting without compromising safety or security.
2. Convert street lights to full cut-off fixtures.
That can result in reduced lumen levels, lower wattage lamps, and a savings in electric bills.
Can reflectors be used instead of street lights?
3. Address glare from unshielded flood lights.

74. Address light trespass. Use Kennebunkport formula, not light police.
H = 3 + D/3
5. Require that only the minimum IESNA lighting levels be reached for a given situation – follow the IESNA RP guidelines
6. Prohibit upward lighting of all types

75. 7. Require signs to lighted from the top down.
8. Educate all parties on what good lighting should be.
9. Promote the use of motion detector lighting and timing devices. Suggest all non essential lighting be turned off by 11 PM.
10. Allow local P & Z’s to require lighting for the human eye and safety using IESNA minimums, rather than up lighting for trees, rocks, and buildings. Down light flag poles.
11. Never allow for more lighting than what is really needed. Make lighting controlled, efficient, and effective.
12. Enforce all lighting ordinances with fines.

76. Cost of Retrofitting
Often recovered in three years. Depends on formula your utility company uses to bill for light pole maintenance.
San Diego is saving $3 million a year in power bills by retrofitting its street light fixtures to LPS.

77. Other Benefits Looks pleasant. Smooth, uniform illumination.
Reduced glare is safer for motorists You can see pedestrians and objects more easily.
The elderly with cataracts are less affected by glare and will be safer drivers.

78. Light at Night and Human Health
Researchers have shown a definite link between exposure to light at night and lower melatonin levels – in all living things.

79. Light at Night and Human Health
Exposure to light at night = decreased melatonin levels. Part of our circadian system of light-dark rhythms.
Nightly melatonin production by the pineal gland is needed for good health.

80. 5 Retrospective Studies
Totally blind women with no light perception have a
roughly 30% less incidence of breast cancer.
Human breast cancer cells implanted in rats grow faster
when the rats are exposed to light at night. Melatonin levels
are reduced by exposure to light at night.
Breast cancer rates are highest in industrialized nations where
night lighting levels are also the highest.
Researchers are pursuing these connections.
No cause and effect can be made now.
Nightly melatonin production in humans is beneficial to
our health. Light exposure interferes with that.

81. “Light is a drug and that by abusing it, we risk imperiling our health
Dr. Russell J. Reiter
University of Texas Health Science Center,
San Antonio, TX 12

82. Everybody Wins With Good Lighting
Enhances the quality of life for all
No compromise to safety or security
Can save money
Less pollution

83. Everybody Wins With Good Lighting
Less glare, light trespass & sky glow
Restores dark skies for stargazing
Prevents the pervasive spread of light pollution
Preserves the night skies for our children

84. Steve’s Modification of the Iroquois’ 7 Generations Principle
We should not pass through this life just to make our own lives
easier at the expense of our natural world and future
generations of humans.
We are OF this planet, not unique to it. We are charged with acting
as stewards of our natural world.
We must take actions today that better the lives of those who,
in 110 years, replace today’s entire population on earth.
Each of us can do just one small thing to better the lives of
those who will be here 110 years from now –i.e. preserve the night sky.

85. Ketchum Dark Sky Ordinance- 1999
Incandescent(w)
Up to 260 lumens (20w) May be unshielded
260 – 1000 lumens (20-60w) No bulb showing; opaque top
1000 – 1800 lumens (60-120w) = *Floods
0ver 1800 lumens Must be full cutoff fixtures with no (all HID lamps) light above the horizontal
*Floods: Lights from lumens:
Must have shielding and opening may not tilt upwards
more than 25 degrees from horizontal.
Timers and motion sensors are encouraged.
Motion sensors must go off in 5 minutes.

86. Ketchum Lights

87. In Sept. 2001, Idaho Power completed the retrofit of
Old drop lens light
In Sept. 2001, Idaho Power completed the retrofit of
all drop lens street lights to these fco lights.
This has reduced glare, sky glow and light trespass
without compromising safety.

88. Guardco Lights

89. Ketchum FCO Parking Lot - Metal Halide
Guardco Lights

90. Good FCO Lighting In All Places

91. There are exceptions

92. Overkill – too much full cutoff lighting

93. This bldg. has 15 50 watt hps at 4000 lumens each,
21 ft apart and 9 ft high. Ridiculous lighting.
Total Overkill. These should be compact fluorescents
And only 3 per side of the bldg.

94. Overkill 50watt hps lamps 10 ft high, 4000 lumens each, 21 ft apart.
60,000 lumens of
light surrounding the
bldg.
Overkill

95. Unfortunately this is legal under
the Ketchum Ordinance since
these are all fco lamps.

96. Overkill

97. Perfect Lighting

101. Bad Wall Pack

102. Better Wall Light

103. Better Wall Light

104. Ketchum Post Office

106. Back lit sign with too much
white. Neighbors complained.

108. For most business sign
lighting, a down-shielded
light under 1800 lumens is
all that’s needed.

109. These quartz-halogen floods are not shielded,
are over 1800 lumens, and therefore illegal

110. Good FCO Lights

111. Opaque cover diffuses
light better

112. FCO lights at entry

113. An elementary school parking lot with
no lights. No problems.

114. 29 inch brown
Silver Creek
Dry Fly

116. END

119. $35 Sky Cap
shield placed to cut glare, trespass,& skyglow
Typical 175 w mv
unshielded yard light

120. Light Pollution

121. JAWS
29 inch brown
Silver Creek
Dry Fly