energetico. È importante osservare che in
questo contesto, di fatto, la definizione di HCL
è molto simile ai concetti di illuminazione
circadiana o illuminazione biodinamica
introdotti già negli anni precedenti. Mentre
secondo una visione più recente, espressa da
altri enti e autori, l’illuminazione circadiana
sarebbe uno degli elementi chiave, certamente
la parte fondamentale dell’HCL, accanto però
ad altri fattori progettuali 18,19 .
È importante evidenziare che un prodotto non
può essere semplicemente definito come HCL,
perché il concetto di questa nuova
illuminazione è qualcosa che deve sempre
essere associato al contesto, che comprende
anche le persone, il tempo e gli spazi interni,
ovvero l’applicazione del progetto
d’illuminazione nel suo insieme.
LightingEurope pone l’accento sul fatto che
l’illuminazione artificiale può fare molto di
più che consentire semplicemente una corretta
funzione visiva. La luce può energizzare,
favorire il rilassamento, influenzare
positivamente il livello di umore, aumentare
il livello di vigilanza soggettivo e le prestazioni
cognitive, ma anche migliorare il ciclo
sonno-veglia. Ovvero può supportare la salute,
il benessere e le prestazioni degli esseri
umani, combinando i benefici di una corretta
visione con quelli biologici ed emotivi della
luce. Il vero valore dell’illuminazione
artificiale del futuro starà quindi nella giusta
combinazione di eccellenti benefici visivi,
biologici ed emotivi. In questo quadro, i Led
possono quindi fare molto di più che favorire
il semplice, seppur importante, risparmio
energetico. In questo settore l’associazione
dei produttori europei ha anche supportato
lo sviluppo del portale Lighting for People 20
sviluppato nell’ambito della ricerca SSL-erate
finanziata dalla Commissione Europea
nell’ambito del 7° programma quadro.
LightingEurope condivide i principi
dell’economia circolare 21 e ritiene che con
l’avvento dei Led e l’obbiettivo dell’aumento
della durata di questi nuovi sistemi di
illuminazione, l’industria del settore
illuminazione possa essere tra i leader
nell’area dell’efficienza energetica per
i prodotti industriali. In questo settore
vi è una grande esperienza nel prolungare
la durata di vita dei prodotti, nella raccolta,
nel riciclaggio e nella riduzione delle sostanze
pericolose. L’obbiettivo è quello di ridurre
ulteriormente l’impronta ecologica di questo
settore industriale. Il concetto di economia
circolare è utilizzato per definire un sistema
economico che si rigenera e nel quale le
risorse materiali in ingresso, gli sprechi,
le emissioni e le dispersioni di energia sono
contenuti al minimo necessario, cercando
di mantenere i circuiti di consumo dell’energia
e dei materiali, quanto più possibile,
racchiusi su sé stessi.
Il principio fondamentale della HCL è che
l’essere umano, con le sue esigenze di visione
e stimolazione circadiana, deve essere posto
al centro del fare progettuale. Questo dovrebbe
essere l’obiettivo dell’HCL, sebbene l’utilizzo
di questo termine sia tuttora controverso
e dibattuto 22 così come l’applicazione
dei criteri per un nuovo modo di intendere
l’illuminazione 23 .
Human Centric Lighting
design in
the international context
What are the harmful effects of artificial lighting,
in reference to specific design parameters, such
as the amount of light, its spectral composition,
and its daily exposure patterns?
The results of some international researches
T
o date there is no general consensus on
the applicability of scientific discoveries
concerning the non-visual effects (non image
forming, NIF) of artificial light in the practice
of lighting design. Even before the discovery
of melanopsin and intrinsically photosensitive
ganglion cells (ipRGC), there were differences
of opinion between those who wanted this new
information on the NIF effects of light entered
immediately in the practice of lighting design,
and those who instead advocated a more
cautious approach requesting to continue
research in this area, both to assess the
beneficial effects and to avoid any negative
consequences not yet highlighted by research.
This split still exists, although the scientific
evidence of the NIF effects has increased as well
as the number of those who believe that a new
way of lighting can be realised today, thanks
also to new lighting technologies. The 2017
Nobel Prize in Medicine is a testament to the
scientific importance of circadian rhythms.
In this essay we analyse the current situation
in this sector with reference to international
bodies whose decisions have repercussions
in the lighting industry.
Aspects related to health
At European level, the Scientific Committee
on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks
(SCENIHR) has issued an opinion on the
relationship between artificial lighting and
human health 1 . This body was established by
the European Commission to provide scientific
advice on emerging or newly identified health
and environmental risks, specifically on broad,
complex or multidisciplinary issues requiring
a global assessment of risks to consumer safety
and public health. In this report, considerable
space was devoted to a review of
epidemiological research that showed that
inadequate artificial lighting could alter the
circadian rhythm with a consequent reduction
of nocturnal melatonin. These two effects were
also evaluated as a moderate factor in
increasing the risk of breast cancer,
gastrointestinal problems, cardiovascular
disorders and affective disorders. Other
evaluated effects concerned sleep disorders,
which might be caused by the short wavelength
(blue) light component, possibly also present
in white light with cood colour temperature,
and the effects that light with these features
can have on the mood, level of vigilance and
cognitive performance. The SCENIHR has shown
that these effects depend on the characteristics
of the light sources used, but above all by the
actual lighting to which individuals are exposed
to during their everyday life. It should be noted
that the opinion expressed by this committee
of experts focuses on what may be the harmful
effects of artificial lighting, with reference to
specific design parameters, such as the amount
of light, its spectral composition and daily
exposure patterns, but no assessment is made
of the lighting project in the environmental
context in relation with the individual.
Subsequently, the European Commission has set
up a new committee, the Scientific Committee
on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks
(SCHEER) who worked on the issue of the
possible risks to human health caused by the
use of LED and has recently published a report
on this subject 2 . This document deals with
issues such as glare, flicker and particular
attention is paid to the question of the short
wavelengths of light that may be present in
artificial lighting. With reference to this aspect,
SCHEER concluded that there is no proven
scientific evidence of photo biological risk due
to the blue light component present in the LEDs.
The Committee, however, stressed that the blue
light produced by all light kind of sources, thus
including the television, computer and tablet
screens, if used late in the evening, can have
an impact on the human circadian system and
possibly cause sleep disorders. These effects
have long been proven in many researches also
for artificial light sources other than LEDs. In
addition, for children under three years, an
incorrect use of very intense light sources with
cood colour temperature, containing a high
amount of blue light, could induce retinopathies
in the long run. The SCHEER also highlighted that
although there are studies performed on cells or
animals that showed adverse effects due to the
blue light component, these researches were
carried out using conditions and exposure levels
far higher than in the usual situations of human
exposure to artificial lighting produced by LEDs
or other light sources. The document also pointed
out that the blue light component of artificial
light used in interior lighting is two orders
of magnitude lower than that of the blue sky to
which human beings have always been exposed.
An important design consideration, which
derives from the analysis of the documents
produced by the SCENIHR and the SCHEER, is the
fact that a correctly designed, installed and
used circadian lighting is not harmful; on the
contrary, the artificial lighting geared to the
goals of vision in the utter unawareness of the
RESEARCH / LUCE 326
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