Lights Out and Away We…Pollute? (Part 2: Light Pollution)

I have previously covered the issue of sound pollution during Formula 1 races, now let’s turn our attention to the light pollution that is emanated by the race infrastructure.

It goes without saying that proper lighting is crucial for Formula 1 races, particularly those that take place at night. Let me use the Singapore Grand Prix (notable for being the world’s first night street F1 race) as a case study. Formula One Management (FOM), which oversees the promotional and broadcasting rights of F1, has set in place stringent requirements that the Singapore race organizers have to meet (Henderson et al., 2010). This is done in order to put in place a safe working and racing environment for all trackside personnel, and also to ensure that the race can be clearly broadcasted to a global audience (ibid.). In order to meet these requirements, 1,600 floodlights are set up along the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Each has an illumination measurement of around 3,000 lux, thus making them four times brighter than the floodlights typically found in football stadiums (see Figure 1 for how a singular light source may affect areas outside of the intended area to be lit). In comparison, the level of illumination on a clear night with a full moon is about 0.1-0.3 lux (Gaston et al., 2013).

 

Apart from the light emitted from the track infrastructure, the Singapore government also encourages key buildings (such as those located trackside and/or in the city centre) to turn on their internal and perimeter lights for “maximum effect on television”, causing one building to use twice as many lights as a result (Henderson et al., 2010). Not only does this increase in electricity power demand lead to a possible increase in environmental pollution (due to polluting energy sources), it also clearly indicates that there is increased light pollution in Singapore.

The combined effect of the intense track lighting and intentional brightening of Singapore’s skyline is dazzling (see Figure 2). However, what are the effects of such light pollution on trackside personnel and fans, as well as surrounding fauna? Exposure to intense illumination, however brief, can have significant health and/or behavioural impacts. While I am unable to find much research on the impact of short-term bright light on human health (perhaps due to the prickly ethics involved), Organisciak and Vaughan (2010) revealed that 2 hours of exposure to white light at 3000 lux can trigger the start of visual cell death in rats. Short-term bright light exposure can also affect the senses of numerous species, thus affecting their ability to navigate and detect predators (Gaston et al., 2010). The “flight-to-light” behaviour that many insects exhibit, for example, is a big concern as it may cause insects or birds to hover around the artificial light source until it dies either from predation or exhaustion (Eisenbeis & Hänel, 2009). In other cases, insects may end up being blinded and thus immobilised by the bright lights (ibid.).

In my previous entry on F1, it seemed as if reducing sound pollution and viewing enjoyment were mutually exclusive. Might attempting to reduce light pollution then further discount the race experience? After all, there’s nothing pleasant about watching a poorly-lit race. Perhaps we could consider changing the type of light source (e.g. from LEDs to sodium vapor lamps), but alternatives no doubt come with their own caveats. Indeed, there are no easy solutions for this issue, and as more night races are added to the race calendar, it seems near-impossible for F1 to ever be a fully green sport.

 

References:

Eisenbeis, G. and Hänel, A. (2009). Light pollution and the impact of artificial night lighting on insects. In M. McDonnell, A. Hahs & J. Breuste (Eds.), Ecology of Cities and Towns (pp. 243-263). Cambridge University Press.

Gaston, K. J., Bennie, J., Davies, T. W., & Hopkins, J. (2013). The ecological impacts of nighttime light pollution: a mechanistic appraisal. Biological Reviews, 88(4), 912-927.

Henderson, J. C., Foo, K., Lim, H., & Yip, S. (2010). Sports events and tourism: The Singapore Formula One Grand Prix. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 1(1), 66-70. https://doi.org/10.1108/17852951011029306

Institution of Lighting Engineers. (2000). Guidance Notes for the Reduction of Light Pollution. https://www.gov.je/SiteCollectionDocuments/Planning and building/SPG Lightpollution 2002.pdfin

Organisciak, D. T., & Vaughan, D. K. (2010). Retinal Light Damage: Mechanisms and Protection. Progress in Retinal and Eye Research, 29(2), 113-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.preteyeres.2009.11.004