Light pollution

What is light pollution?
Light pollution is caused by inefficient urban lighting, the lighting of roads and highways incorrect or inadequate private lighting and causes a number of problems.
It speaks of light pollution when artificial lights are so numerous and ubiquitous that harms normal and desirable dark at night.
Thus, at nightfall, numerous artificial light sources (urban lighting, billboards, office permanently illuminated ...) replace the sun in cities to the smallest village.
Light pollution is a form of pollution because until now very little was mentioned less hazardous to health in comparison with other conventional sources of pollution: waste, fog, dirty water ...
Light pollution means:
-Huge energy costs unnecessary
-Security issues Destruction of ecosystems based on night-day sequence
-Health problems in the population
-Reducing activity astronomical observatories, and amateur astronomers
-Since 1830, responsible for lighting Paris lit just one of two full moon nights to save energy.

Light pollution is several ways, namely:

-Over-illumination

-Night sky brightness

-Light blindness

-Excessive light clusters

-Light passing the limit property

Now I will say a few words about these types of pollution.

-OVERR-ILlUMINATION-

Over-illumination is the excessive use of light.

Over-illumination is produced by several factors:

-Model improper bulbs used for office buildings and lighting set standards too high for different types of work.

-Keeping bulbs lit in offices where the night is no longer working.

-Choosing the wrong types of lamps and their installation being incorrect that they do not direct the light directly onto the ground, but the sky.

-Lack of timers, the presence of sensors or other types of controlled switches to switch off the light when it is no longer necessary.

-Inadequate maintenance of electrical systems resulting in waste of energy and therefore additional cost.

-Insufficient information and training to people about using energy efficient systems.

-NIGHT SKY BRINGHTNESS-

This type of light pollution refers to the production of "domes of light" above the overcrowded areas. In these areas, because of public lighting based on mercury vapor lamps, the sky is lit in a color. The brilliance of the night sky above the city is caused by the fact that most lamps allow massive leakage of light to heaven.

This light is reflected in the city smog and the atmospheric layers and produces a true halo.

Urban halo is often brighter than the streets where it should be light. In this type of light pollution you can see very well the waste of energy. I can see going out of town where you live.

A private and public regulatory lighting, along with reducing air pollution would lead to a decrease in halo city.

-LIGHT BLINDNESS-

The lights are very bright and we enter directly into eyes not to see us do well the difference between light and dark.

This brightening may be of several types:

-Glare - with effects similar to those caused by sunlight. It produces temporary or permanent visual impairments.

-Glow producing temporary blindness - has an effect similar to that produced by the headlights of a car, the light that is transmitted through the fog. It produces significant temporary reduction and visual capacity.

-Glow disturbing - not in itself create a dangerous situation, being more irritating or annoying, but a long-term exposure can cause eye fatigue or mental.

-EXCESSIVE LIGHT CLUSTERS-

The lights of several types gathered at one place can cause confusion, can distract from obstacles (including those that seek to illuminate), can lead to accidents.

-LIGHT PASSING THE LIMIT PROPETY-

This type of light is passing from one property to another neighbor over the fence. A major problem occurs when light from a powerful bulb lighting used for input or garden into the room causing their neighbors insomnia or inability to look through their window in May.

The effects of light pollution

-Waste of energy

-Health effects

-Destruction of ecosystems

-Security issues

-Effects on astronomy

How to reduce light pollution?

Solution for reducing light pollution is very simple. It is reduced to ensure that the lamps light only where needed, not toward heaven, not into neighbors homes and in any case into the eyes of drivers. Use of green lamps (maximum efficiency) is the perfect solution. They should only be directed downward and not in other directions.