Renewed Debate: Streetlight Color and Health Implications

Lighting industry resistance, Dr. Motta's updated advice and the IES' strong response

Mario Motta, M.D., co-author of the American Medical Association's (AMA) pivotal 2016 report on the risks of streetlight color temperature, recently reignited discussions over blue-rich outdoor lighting during a recent appearance on the Restoring Darkness podcast. Dr. Motta recounted what he perceived as strong lighting industry opposition after the report was published, including “quite nasty” letters he claimed to have received from the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and allegations that commercial motives were driving resistance within the lighting industry.

This renewed focus comes as municipalities, departments of transportation and lighting professionals continue to wrestle with the implications of the AMA’s nine-year-old recommendation to adopt outdoor lighting with a correlated color temperature (CCT) of 3000K or lower to reduce health and environmental risks. In a notable update, Dr. Motta revealed that if the report were written today, he would advocate for even warmer lighting to better address melatonin suppression and its broader effects on public health.