A Lunenburg woman is raising concerns around LED equipped street lights.
The town of Lunenburg has been installing the new LED lights as older lights burn out.
Anke Holm says in the rush for energy efficiency, utilities aren’t considering how the quality of the light affects residents.
“From the American Medical Association, they talk about the suppression of the development of melatonin, which you need for sleeping.”
Holm says the LED lights mimic daylight which disrupts the body’s natural rhythms.
As well, the sharp daylight colour can actually make driving more difficult at night as people’s eyes can’t adjust to the glare.
Holm is also concerned the new lights don’t fit in with the UNESCO heritage aesthetic.
“If you’ve ever wandered through the streets of Lunenburg by night, it’s wonderful. It has this golden romantic light in Old Town. It’s almost like candlelight. If you have that white, glaring light, it looks like a shopping mall.”
She says there are LED’s available which come in a warmer colour and she will be suggesting to council that those should replace the existing bulbs when necessary.
