To the editor:

I now have more information about the LED lighting that is planned for the city of Lawrence. I have concerns they will ignore the recommendations of the American Medical Association, unanimously adopted last year, that the color temperature of outdoor lighting be below 3000 K. I fear they will install lights which range from 3500 to 4500 K.

There is a long list of problems associated with the bluer lights they may choose, too long to list here. They, however, include glare, problems with sleep and hormonal changes, and negative effects on wildlife. This is just like climate change: The science is there, and our leaders should not ignore it. Some of the reactions to the AMA statement honestly remind me of the tobacco industry’s response to cancer research or the coal and oil industry’s response to global warming concerns.

This is not such a well-publicized problem, but it is one that we have a chance to stop locally before it happens. City leaders should stop this before it is too late and switch to LEDs below 3000 K.