-
Asked by anon-221043 to Deepak on 27 Jun 2019.
-
Deepak Chandrasekharan answered on 27 Jun 2019:
Yeah they do – pollution is a big term and animals get affected in a variety of ways. For example, plastic gets in the ocean and big bits can trap animals and stop them swimming properly or very small bits can be eaten by them and affect their health. Air pollution can affect birds and how they breathe. Light pollution can mean animals that use light to navigate at night can get confused and lost. We can help them by being considerate of the natural world and figuring out better ways to live alongside our neighbours!
-
Comments
Nina commented on :
Light pollution can also have a major impact on circadian function in animals as well as humans. Wildlife differ from humans in their sensitivity to light (eg they can be affected by very low levels of light) and may be adversely affected in a number of ways. The positioning, duration, type of light source and level of lighting are all factors that can affect the impact of light on wildlife.
The ability of some building materials to polarise light may cause insects, birds and other wildlife to mistake the material for water. This is a daytime and night-time effect and is different to artificial light reflected off surfaces. The effect is particularly strong with smooth (shiny) dark surfaces. The use of rough, matt, light-coloured materials may reduce the effect.
There is a whole government report on the impact of light pollution in the UK and recommendations to reduce this impact – Chapter 4 details the impact on organisms and ecosystems
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/228832/9780108508547.pdf.pdf
See also this website:
On a smaller scale pets can be affected by pollutants generated by their owners – including smoking – passive smoking is a risk factor for several conditions in dogs and cats. Here is some more info:
https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/is-it-safe-to-smoke-around-cats-and-dogs
anon-221043 commented on :
Thanks for answering my question! 🙂