American Medical Association Warns of Dangers of LED Lighting; Doctors Claim LED Affects Health

By Jamie Nelson, | September 29, 2016

A field electrician replaces a streetlight with new LED fixtures  in Las Vegas, Nevada.

A field electrician replaces a streetlight with new LED fixtures in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Throughout the world, LED lights are replacing normal yellow lights in street lamps and other places in a bid to conserve energy. However, doctors are now warning that the light emitted from LEDs could impact health, vision, and sleep of those exposed to its rays.

The American Medical Association in a statement this month warned individuals to adopt new guidelines to reduce the possible harmful health effects that LEDs could cause.

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"Despite the energy efficiency benefits, some LED lights are harmful when used as street lighting," Dr. Maya Babu, AMA board member, said in the statement.

Experts claim that the blue light emitted from LEDs could affect vision and sleep patterns. The bluish-white light from LEDs is also said to be capable of disrupting sleep by affecting the circadian rhythm of the body's natural clock.

Furthermore, it is estimated that the effect of the white light on vision could be five times as adverse as the normal yellow light emitted by street lamps. The AMA in its statement highlighted the detrimental effects of the blue light of LEDs on nocturnal plant and animal species.

"Excessive outdoor lighting disrupts many species that need a dark environment," the statement said. It pointed out that LED lighting could disorient insects, birds, and fish species.

According to the Daily Mail, the new guidelines set out by the AMA refer mainly to the lighting at night time.

Scientists addressed the issue of "color temperature: which is used to measure the color of a light source - when green, blue, yellow and red light combine the source light should be not more than 3000 Kelvin. In terms of the LED lights, a higher rating was reflected in the blue and white light spectrum.

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