To the editor:

I am responding to the Journal-World’s editorial on whether the city and Westar should go forward installing LED streetlights that exceed the American Medical Association’s specific health warnings against them: that these types of lights emit too much blue spectrum light.

The editorial minimizes the host of risks pointed to by the AMA, which not only include glare, discomfort and disability, but that the new lighting can also decrease visual acuity and results in concerns of creating road hazard.

The editorial comes out against getting our streetlights within recommended limits and proposes we wait for more specific guidance from the AMA. Wait for what? The AMA gave specific guidance, but it’s now being ignored. The lights are well above healthy limits. Are we then to wait for the lighting industry to conduct its own research to try to cloud an issue that doctors have already spoken to? It reminds me of how big tobacco ducked its issue for years.

And the editorial suggests changing course could cost a huge amount of money. That is very hard to believe, when we are only talking about changing light bulbs.