The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) may soon regulate the amount of light that businesses can produce after hours. That’s with research showing that light pollution could impact your health. This is a particular concern in densely populated Taiwan, where commercial and residential areas often overlap.
Neon lights, flashing billboards, and scrolling signs – this is Taipei, a city that never goes dark. But some local residents say the lights are blinding and unsightly. Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration is set to introduce guidelines to regulate light output at night.
An official in charge of noise and air pollution, Tsai Meng-yu, says the new guidelines will apply to residential and mixed-use zones. But he says his department has recommended against restricting light in purely commercial areas.
Some scholars say that exempting commercial areas from the guidelines is unreasonable. Tsinghwa University material science professor Chou Chuo-hui says that excessive light exposure at night could lead to skin problems. He says studies have also shown that an increase in nighttime light exposure has led to an increase in breast cancer cases among women.
Right now, there are no fines or punishments in place for people who don’t comply with the guidelines. The EPA says that different government agencies are responsible for monitoring light from different sources. For now, the guidelines merely offer a reference for suitable levels of light exposure.