Air pollution has been an issue that has drawn attention over time as we see the effects that it causes. Air pollution is a horrible thing as you may already know, it affects humans, the environment and animals. Just like air pollution, light pollution also affects humans, the environment, and animals. Both pollution's’ effect vary on these three concepts but the most important thing to know is that light pollution practically equals air pollution.
Air pollution has many effects on the human health. The article Health & Environmental Effects of Air Pollution states that, “People exposed to high enough levels of certain air pollutants may experience irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. Wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and breathing difficulties can also be caused. Worsening of existing lung and heart problems, such as asthma and an increased risk of heart attack are also some effects.” These effects may not be instant but it could become fatal in some circumstances. Air pollution may cause these severe issues in some people but light pollution affects all who are exposed to excessive lighting.
Light pollution affects our health but in different ways than air pollution does and that may be worse depending where you live. Light pollution may not cause life threatening effects as fast as air pollution but it does cause problems that affect your everyday life. Light has been linked to mess with your circadian rhythm which is really important for your sleep cycle. The article Missing the Dark: Health Effects of Light Pollution states that, “ Richard Stevens, a professor and cancer epidemiologist at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, Connecticut, says light photons must hit the retina for biologic effects to occur.” Not being able to get enough sleep is an issue that will catch up to you if you keep waking up exhausted. It’s important for everyone to get good sleep and especially growing children. Light pollution directly affects the production of an important chemical which is Melatonin. Without sufficient melatonin, which affects a variety of bodily processes like metabolism and the immune system, it could have severe consequences on the body. The article, The Dark Side of Light Pollution: Human Effects states that, Among them are obesity, type II diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, insulin resistance, poor metabolism and heart attacks. I believe that both pollutants are an issue that should be dealt with since the effects are vast. Although we deeply care about our health, these two pollutants also affect the environment.
A huge problem with air pollution is how it can produce acid rain. This happens when the water in the air mixes with nitric and sulfuric acids which will then precipitate and bring those acids down to the earth. It isn’t as bad as it sounds so your skin won’t melt but it causes harm to wildlife like plants and animals. Acid rain acidifies what it comes into contact with whether it be body of waters or any other objects. It also speeds up the decay of buildings which is never good. Air pollution also causes haze which makes it harder to see and just makes the day look so much more gloomy.
Light pollution have less consequential issues that are created because of it but nonetheless they are issues. One example would be the disappearance of the milky way galaxy. Not literally, but the sight of it is no longer visible from most areas around the world. Although it may not be something that everyone cares about it’s something that just inspired people to look more into space. Wildlife environments are affected by also tricking animals to believe that it's daytime when it really isn’t. This affects the cycle on which animals live their life and puts their life in danger. This brings me to how each pollution affects animals specifically.
Air pollution also causes similar issues with animals that humans experience. The article, Health & Environmental Effects of Air Pollution states that, “Like humans, animals can experience health problems if they are exposed to sufficient concentrations of air toxics over time. Studies show that air toxics are contributing to birth defects, reproductive failure, and disease in animals.” It’s a little unfair that these animals have to go through these things because of our selfish ways don’t you think? It isn’t just a few issues it causes for animals but a pretty big list. Air pollution affects all animals but light pollution mainly affects nocturnal animals.
The most known animals that are affected by light pollution are sea turtles. The article, Information About Sea Turtles: Threats from Artificial Lighting states that, “Lighting near the shore also can cause hatchlings to become disoriented and wander inland, where they often die of dehydration or predation. Hatchlings, scientists believe, have an innate instinct that leads them in the brightest direction, which is normally moonlight reflecting off of the ocean.” Sea turtles are getting closer and closer to extinction and this isn’t helping the cause. Sea turtles are by far not the only animals affected, all nocturnal animals are heavily affected also. The article What is Light Pollution? states that, “In disrupting ecosystems, light pollution poses a serious threat in particular to nocturnal wildlife, having negative impacts on plant and animal physiology. It can confuse the migratory patterns of animals, alter competitive interactions of animals, change predator-prey relations, and cause physiological harm. The rhythm of life is orchestrated by the natural diurnal patterns of light and dark; so disruption to these patterns impacts the ecological dynamics.” Without some sense of dark, both humans and animals are affected negatively by a pollution that can easily be controlled.
There is one thing that will always make light pollution a bigger issue than air pollution. If light pollution were to be stopped, air pollution would also be controlled. It takes the use of natural resources like coal or natural gas to create electricity which in turn can create light. The light that is created and misused is directly affecting the rate of air pollutants being produced. If we conserve that energy that is wasted money, animals, our health, our environment, and air pollution can be affected positivly.