Streetlights harm my kid, claims dad

Damien McNamara says light pollution is causing his autistic son’s behaviour and mood to worsen. Alice Geary reports.

THE father of a 12-year-old autistic boy says sudden exposure to a new street light installed outside his bedroom had a perilous impact on his health.

Damien McNamara shared Reuben’s story at the New Zealand Starlight Conference in Tekapo last week, where his story was well received by experts.

While there has been no scientifically proven effects of light on autism, academics agree it is worth further study.

McNamara has been campaigning for darker skies but is now spurred on by the bigger impact of light pollution on his son’s health.

Reuben has high-functioning autism, has found it hard to cope with change and is prone to tantrums. In late 2017 his behaviour spiralled to the point he was trying to hurt himself and showing violent tendencies at school, McNamara said.

His behavioural problems began to present a month after a 114-watt LED streetlight was installed 12 metres from his bedroom window in the family’s Oamaru home.

McNamara measured the strength of the light inside his son’s window, and found they were far higher than recommended levels agreed by councils. ‘‘It’s obvious light pollution, light glare and light spill onto private property.’’

McNamara, an amateur astronomer and president of the North Otago Astronomical Society, learned about the link between blue light, part of the light spectrum which is more prevalent in ‘‘cold’’ white lights, and the hormone melatonin, which helps to regulate the body’s 24-hour clock.

An analysis of multiple studies into melatonin in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) found it was associated with better