Abstract
Whereas light pollution is well defined by the astronomers, no biological definition of this phenomenon has been given so far. In giving such a definition, various variables of nighttime illumination, such as intensity, wavelength, duration of exposure, frequency of exposure and timing within the dark period, should be considered. A critical point is that light pollution suppresses MLT production and disrupts daily rhythms entrained by photoperiod and thus initiates a stress response, all of which are biological consequences of exposure to LAN.
The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty. Plainly, the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of liberty.
Abraham Lincoln
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© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Haim, A., Portnov, B.A. (2013). Biological Definition of Light Pollution. In: Light Pollution as a New Risk Factor for Human Breast and Prostate Cancers. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6220-6_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6220-6_8
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Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-6219-0
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6220-6
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