AMA: LED Street Light above 3000K Bears More Health Risks

LED street lights become more and more popular in recent years, but a few days ago, the American Medical Association (AMA) just issued an official statement, warning that if the LED lights are too white and bright, it will release a large amount of blue light and expose to people directly, which would not only increase the probability of an accident because of the glare while driving, but also affect people’s sleep cycle.

After put LED lights on a bridge at Los Angeles (right), the light is significantly whiter and brighter than it in the   past (left). Shooting CNN
US Cable News Network (CNN) and National Public Radio (NPR) reported, AMA unanimously consent to a statement on the 14th of this month at the annual meeting, to make guidelines on how to choose LED street lights, aims at reducing ” the damage to human health and effects of environmental to a minimum. ”
AMA recommends that color temperature of outdoor lighting at night, especially street lights, should be less than 3000K. Color temperature measurement is based on the content of the blue, green, yellow and red light source. The higher the color temperature, the whiter and brighter the light, and the more the content of blue light, which will therefore generate glare, affecting the accuracy and safety of driver’s vision.
AMA also said that blue light is more likely to inhibit the body’s secretion of melatonin at night than other light sources, which may lead to sleep time decrease, sleep quality deterioration, day of sorts and even obesity.