Turning down the lights

By LAURA BEHENNA

Bigfork Eagle

How often do you see a dark sky rich with an amazing number of stars?

How often do you wonder how you could reduce the amazing number of dollars racked up on your energy bill?

A growing number of people who are calling for an end to “light pollution” argue that most people don’t often see the full array of stars because outdoor light from their property, their neighbors or their community can interfere with the view. Those bright lights cost citizens and businesses hundreds of millions of dollars a year in wasted energy, too.

Unnecessary light at night not only blots out the beauty of the night sky and wastes energy; it also can annoy neighbors, increase crime rates and damage health, according to Drew Hubatsek of Woods Bay. He’s involved in Montanans for Responsible Lighting, a loosely knit network of dark-sky advocates, which he estimates to number perhaps 100 people.

He recalls camping in Death Valley, where he could see a “perpetual sunrise” from the glow of Las Vegas lights 100 miles away.

“We’re not advocating no lights, that people stumble around in the dark,” he said Thursday. The goal of Montanans for Responsible Lighting is “good, responsible lighting so we have safety and security.”

“I think we’ve been brainwashed that light is good, more is better and it equates to safety,” he said.

Safe, secure, nonintrusive lighting is directed at the ground or at buildings and is designed to keep light from spilling into areas were it isn’t wanted or needed, he explained.

Outdoor lights that are visible from above waste energy by scattering light upward, Hubatsek continued. Efficient, economical security lighting is available here in Bigfork, he said, holding up a dusk-to-dawn security light that cost him about $10. It aims light only in the direction of the space the owner wants illuminated, and its hood prevents upward light scatter. It uses a sodium bulb, which is much more energy-efficient than the common mercury vapor bulb many homeowners use to light their yards, decks and garages.

“Mercury vapor lights are the poster child for bad lighting,” Hubatsek asserted. He has in his workshop an old-fashioned mercury vapor streetlight whose large glass cover sprays light both above and below. By covering the bulb with a better-designed “Hubbell cap,” the mercury vapor bulb can still work, but at a lower wattage for energy savings, and the light is confined to the ground. Hubatsek demonstrated that the old cover could be exchanged for the Hubbell cap in less than five minutes.

Mercury is a toxic metal, however, making nontoxic sodium bulbs a safer choice, he said.

Speaking of safety, the idea that bright lights deter criminals is likely an illusion, the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) says. Intruders can hide in the dark shadows produced by too-bright lights, whose intense glare also reduce the eye’s ability to see what’s going on in shaded areas. Illuminated entrances may make it easier for burglars to attempt to break into a building.

Some cities have noticed that crime increased when they installed more bright lighting. Schools across the country turn off outdoor lights at night to reduce vandalism. During a two-week power outage in Auckland, New Zealand, police noted the crime rate dropped almost to zero, a 1998 story in the Missoulian reported. The IDA claims no evidence exists that light deters crime.

Before he moved to the Flathead, Hubatsek had his cabin near Lake Tahoe burglarized under a mercury vapor light. After he disabled the light, he lived in the cabin for 16 crime-free years.

Light at night can endanger health too. Nearly 20 years of scientific evidence indicates that exposure to excessive light during the hours when the earth is naturally dark may increase the risk of several cancers, including breast, colon and prostate. Light exposure could be a factor in the rising rate of breast cancer, which has been steadily increasing in the United States for almost 50 years. That’s according to Richard Stevens, an epidemiologist at the University of Connecticut, who has been studying the connection between cancer and exposure to artificial light since 1987.

Drawing on studies showing that people who work the night shift are at higher risk of cancer than daytime workers, Stevens’ theory holds that exposure to artificial light disrupts the body’s internal clock and suppresses production of melatonin, a hormone that appears to have cancer-fighting properties. The human body produces melatonin only in darkness. A cadre of international scientists, including at the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health, are focusing more study on the effects of melatonin and body clock disruption on cancer.

Meanwhile, Hubatsek and other dark-sky advocates would like to see county-wide adoption of policies that limit light pollution. Kalispell and Whitefish have adopted such policies, he said. Last August Kalispell adopted a 10-page ordinance that spells out detailed guidelines for new outdoor lighting, including two pages of diagrams of both good and bad lighting models.

“Be kind to your neighbors,” Hubatsek said. “Be sure to situate lights so they don’t shine into a neighbor’s window or cause unpleasant glare when viewed from next door. You should never see the source of the light (an exposed lamp), only the light it throws. It comes down to property rights and respecting people’s property.

“Good lighting is a win-win situation. Not only will you save energy, you’ll probably have happier neighbors.”

Hubatsek encouraged interested people to call their elected officials to ask for light-pollution reduction measures in their community.

“I’ve met with the county and they’ve said they’d like to pass (a county-wide) ordinance, but they need to hear from as many people as possible to give a broad base of support,” he said. He also recommended talking with neighbors to educate them about the benefits of better lighting.

The IDA offers information on how to talk with neighbors about finding alternatives to intrusive lights, in addition to information sheets on various aspects of light pollution and how to correct it. The organization can be reached at www.darksky.org, 3225 North First Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85719 or by telephone at 520-293-3198.