Editing Light pollution (section)

===Economic relation===
It is not uncommon to find 24-hour business, such as gas stations, convenience stores, and pharmacies. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities must be staffed 24 hours per day, seven days per week. With the rise of Amazon, many factories and shipping companies now operate 24x7 shifts to keep up with the demand of the new global consumer. These industries all require light, both inside and outside their facilities to ensure the safety of their workers as they move about their jobs and when the enter and depart the facilities. As a result, "40% of the United States and almost 20% of the European Union population has lost the ability to view the night sky…in other words, it is as if they never really experience nighttime."<ref name="Cinzano-2001" />

With a focus on shift work and the continued need for 24-hour operations of specific sectors of the economy, researchers are looking at the impact of light pollution on this group of workers. In 2007 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) sought to bring notice to the risk from shift work as a probable risk for developing cancers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Erren |first1=Thomas C. |last2=Falaturi |first2=Puran |last3=Morfeld |first3=Peter |last4=Knauth |first4=Peter |last5=Reiter |first5=Russel J. |last6=Piekarski |first6=Claus |date=24 September 2010 |title=Shift Work and Cancer |journal=Deutsches Ärzteblatt International |volume=107 |issue=38 |pages=657–662 |doi=10.3238/arztebl.2010.0657 |issn=1866-0452 |pmc=2954516 |pmid=20953253}}</ref> This move was the result of numerous studies that found increased risks of cancers in groups of shift workers. The 1998 Nurses Health Study found a link between breast cancer and nurses who had worked rotating night shifts in their young adult life.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wegrzyn |first1=Lani R. |last2=Tamimi |first2=Rulla M. |last3=Rosner |first3=Bernard A. |last4=Brown |first4=Susan B. |last5=Stevens |first5=Richard G. |last6=Eliassen |first6=A. Heather |last7=Laden |first7=Francine |last8=Willett |first8=Walter C. |last9=Hankinson |first9=Susan E. |last10=Schernhammer |first10=Eva S. |date=2017-09-01 |title=Rotating Night-Shift Work and the Risk of Breast Cancer in the Nurses' Health Studies |url=https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/186/5/532/3852271 |journal=American Journal of Epidemiology |language=en |volume=186 |issue=5 |pages=532–540 |doi=10.1093/aje/kwx140 |issn=0002-9262 |pmc=5856106 |pmid=28541391 |access-date=2024-04-17 |archive-date=2024-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240414043441/https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/186/5/532/3852271 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, it is not possible to halt shift work in these industries. Hospitals must be staffed around the clock.

Research suggests that, like other environmental issues, light pollution is primarily a problem caused by industrialized nations. Numerous economic indicators have been examined to get a better sense of where light pollution was occurring around the globe.<ref name="Gallaway-2010">{{Cite journal |last1=Gallaway |first1=Terrel |last2=Olsen |first2=Reed N. |last3=Mitchell |first3=David M. |date=15 January 2010 |title=The economics of global light pollution |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2009.10.003 |journal=Ecological Economics |volume=69 |issue=3 |pages=658–665 |doi=10.1016/j.ecolecon.2009.10.003 |issn=0921-8009|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Countries with paved roads, an indicator of developed infrastructure, often had increased light pollution.<ref name="Gallaway-2010" /> Similarly, countries with a high rate of resource extraction also have high rates of light pollution. Also those with the highest GDP and high surface area described as urban and suburban also had the highest rates of light pollution.<ref name="Gallaway-2010" />

China is an emerging leader in industrial and economic growth. A recent study of light pollution using the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Operational Linescan System (DMSL/OLS) found that light pollution is increasing over the eastern coastal cities but decreasing over the industrial and mineral extraction cities.<ref name="Han-2014"/> Specifically, urban areas around the Yangtze River delta, Pearl River delta, and Beijing-Tianjin area are specific light pollution areas of concern.<ref name="Han-2014" /> Examining China as a whole, it was found that light pollution in the East and North was much higher than the West. This is consistent with major industrial factories located in the East and North while resource extraction dominates the West.<ref name="Han-2014" />

In 2009, following the United Nations declaration of ''The Year of Astronomy,'' researchers urged a better understanding of artificial light and the role it plays in social, economic, and environmental issues.<ref name="Hölker-2010">{{Cite journal |last1=Hölker |first1=Franz |last2=Moss |first2=Timothy |last3=Griefahn |first3=Barbara |last4=Kloas |first4=Werner |last5=Voigt |first5=Christian C. |last6=Henckel |first6=Dietrich |last7=Hänel |first7=Andreas |last8=Kappeler |first8=Peter M. |last9=Völker |first9=Stephan |last10=Schwope |first10=Axel |last11=Franke |first11=Steffen |last12=Uhrlandt |first12=Dirk |last13=Fischer |first13=Jürgen |last14=Klenke |first14=Reinhard |last15=Wolter |first15=Christian |date=2010 |title=The Dark Side of Light: A Transdisciplinary Research Agenda for Light Pollution Policy |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/es-03685-150413 |journal=Ecology and Society |volume=15 |issue=4 |doi=10.5751/es-03685-150413 |issn=1708-3087}}</ref> Continued unfettered use of artificial light in urban and rural areas would cause a global shift with unpredictable outcomes. Focusing on the economic impact of increased energy consumption in light bulbs, or the move to energy efficiency of lighting, is not enough. Rather, the broader focus should be on the socio-economic, ecologic, and physiologic impacts of light pollution.<ref name="Hölker-2010" /> 

Humans require some artificial night light for shift work, manufacturing, street safety, and nighttime driving and research has shown that artificial light disrupts the lives of animals. However, recent studies suggest that we may be able to find a happy medium. A 2021 article examined seasonal light changes and its effect on all animals, but specifically mollusks.<ref name="Hussein-2020">{{Cite journal |last1=Hussein |first1=Ahmed A. A. |last2=Bloem |first2=Erik |last3=Fodor |first3=István |last4=Baz |first4=El-Sayed |last5=Tadros |first5=Menerva M. |last6=Soliman |first6=Maha F. M. |last7=El-Shenawy |first7=Nahla S. |last8=Koene |first8=Joris M. |date=2020-12-19 |title=Slowly seeing the light: an integrative review on ecological light pollution as a potential threat for mollusks |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11824-7 |journal=Environmental Science and Pollution Research |volume=28 |issue=5 |pages=5036–5048 |doi=10.1007/s11356-020-11824-7 |pmid=33341922 |pmc=7838132 |issn=0944-1344}}</ref> The article claims that previous light research primarily focuses on length of exposure to light.<ref name="Hussein-2020" /> However, further research should attempt to determine the safest amount of light exposure, in terms of duration and intensity, that would be most desirable for both humans and animals.<ref name="Hussein-2020" /> With the development on this data, possible safety limits could be applied for light levels.<ref name="Hussein-2020" /> Ideally, the light level would maintain human benefits, while also decreasing or fully removing the negative impacts on animals.