Readers Write: Please reverse LED decision in VGN

The Island Now

Dear Mayor Bral:

 I have been reading in the local newspapers about the controversy involved in the upcoming installation of LED street lights.  

I have not attended any meetings where this issue was discussed, nor am I any kind of expert in this area.  Even so, I am very concerned about what I am reading and hope you will consider changing your decision to install these lights.

 I met you personally after a board meeting shortly after you were elected and found you to be very intelligent, friendly, and concerned about the lives of the people residing in the Village, where I have lived most of my life.  I had a strong feeling that you would be an excellent mayor.

At the time I met you, the main issue in the Village involved people who wanted to change the local ordinance in order to allow more trees to be cut down.  

You assured me that you were in agreement with my view that it was not a good idea and the results of that meeting were a great relief to me. for which I thank you.

 I also met your wife and child when I went to vote in the mayoral election and was very impressed with both!  You have a lovely family and seem to be a man who is hard working and, as you once wrote me in an email, someone who puts the health and welfare of the patients he treats first.

Many years ago, I developed an interest in health and began to read and learn many things I had not previously known and as a result, changed some of my eating and health care habits.  

I believe that this knowledge and the changes I made have had a very beneficial effect on my overall health.

 I clearly recall reading something in the 1970s or 1980s which warned women of the potential dangers of using talcum powder, even baby powder, because the ingredients could cause health problems, possibly even cancer.  

At that time, very little was known about this issue and the manufacturers all denied that their products were dangerous in any way.  I had been raised to use this powder and my mother also used it herself, so this warning was a surprise to me.  

Even though there was no definitive information on these possible dangers, I immediately decided not to use talcum powder again, threw it out, and substituted corn starch, which was what the articles had recommended.

 Only recently, as you are certainly aware, there have been a large number of lawsuits filed against the manufacturers of talcum powder because it is now known, so many years later, that the particles in the powder are strongly linked to the development of ovarian cancer in women.  

I am so relieved and happy that I took the information I read more than 40 years ago as a potential warning and changed my habits accordingly.  

Even if nothing had ever happened and there were no dangers involved in the use of talcum powder, giving it up just in case it might be dangerous over many years of use now appears a very smart thing for me to have done.  Or as the saying goes, “always err on the side of caution.”

 After reading the material about the LED street lights, the local people who oppose them and the opinions of the experts who came to a board meeting and spoke, I now have the exact same reaction: we simply do not know if these lights may have a deleterious effect on people’s vision, ability to sleep properly, overall health, or if they possess any other possible long-term side effects.  

There appear to be quite a number of people who think the LED street lights have adverse effects that may only show up over time, perhaps a long time.

Therefore, it is my strong opinion that our village should not be used as guinea pigs.  

We should not experiment with these lights, since there are credible reports of potential dangers that have not yet been proven but are strongly suspected by some medical and scientific experts who may turn out to be correct — in a year, in five years, in 10 years, or even in forty or more years.  It doesn’t matter.  

We do not need these lights.

They may be cost efficient, but I, and I believe almost every other resident, would prefer to continue paying for the lights we have and avoid any potential disasters ahead, even if only one person is adversely affected.  

You have a young child and I cannot believe that you would want to expose your child, or any other child, to such a possible danger.

 Furthermore, having travelled widely in the past, I often found that people were excited to meet an American and consistently praised our freedoms in this country.  And indeed, we are blessed with many freedoms, including the freedom to choose our own health care, to follow or not follow the directions of our medical professionals and to do whatever we think is beneficial for our health, even if our medical professionals do not agree.  

But in this situation, it seems that the entire Village, with all its individuals, are not being given any choice at all.  The issue appears to have been decided by others and we are being told that there is nothing we can do about it.  

This certainly seems undemocratic and unwise to me.  I do not want these lights and yet, my opinion does not count and I may be forced to expose myself to something that could eventually permanently threaten my health.  Does that seem right to you?

 If the reasons for this desire to change to LED lights have anything to do with the  frequent complaints about people walking in the streets at night in dark clothing — and I have no idea if there is any link — there are much safer and better solutions.  

I have seen people with baby carriages in the middle of the street in the daytime walking with traffic behind them.  We  know that today, many drivers are constantly distracted while they drive by use of their phones or other devices, and there have been many accidents, some fatal, as a result.  

I do not see things changing in the near future and when I drive, it seems to be getting worse.  Therefore, I think the walkers should change their habits to make themselves and their family members safer.  

Walk on the side facing traffic so you can see cars coming toward you.  Walk single file so you are never in the middle of the road, especially with a young child or a baby carriage.  Wear a luminescent garment or patch so drivers can see you easily.  

All these things have been suggested, but I don’t know if they have been implemented, since I very rarely drive at night.  I do not want anyone in our Village to be harmed because they are not protecting themselves in such simple ways.

 Finally, I have a street light directly outside my house which shines into my house at night.

I have been told that the LED lights will have posts with shades that shine the light directly down and it will not be coming into my house as it does now.  

However, if there is something dangerous in this light — and I believe there probably is — I simply do not want this LED light shining in any way, even on my sidewalk, in front of my house.  

But I have been told by the village that every light will be changed and I cannot request that mine be left alone.  

If the change is made despite all the potential problems and all the people who do not want this change, I will have to find some other way to get rid of the light, since one of my strongest  goals in life is to stay as healthy and as safe as I can and to live as long as I can because after all, life is so wonderful!

Thank you for considering my concerns and I will look forward to your reply.

Diane Coffield

Great Neck

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