Compared to no streetlights or high pressure sodium (HPS), researchers find that LED lighting does not impact melatonin levels.
Research conducted at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) found that blue light from LED road lighting does not have any significant impact on road user salivary melatonin levels.
Ron Gibbons and Rajaram Bhagavathula in collaboration with neuroendocrine researchers, George Brainard and John Hanifin from Thomas Jefferson University, were the first to conduct this kind of research on a realistic road environment in a study sponsored by the Department of Energy. By using the extensive capabilities of the Virginia Smart Roads, they were able to conduct their study with three participant groups to the specifications of current roads and lighting scenarios, earning their research a spot in the Clocks & Sleep journal.
“This is the first time that research like this has ever been done in a naturalistic environment,” said Gibbons, program leader of the infrastructure-based safety systems group at VTTI. “It has allowed us to remove a point of uncertainty with lighting research.”