Purple Street Lights?

Kwon shares that “Anecdotal reports of purple-looking streetlights have been popping up. . . . the hue of the light illuminating a roadway could affect how drivers and pedestrians perceive their surroundings as they make their way through the night. And that makes purple streetlights a potential safety hazard. . . . bright purple light suggests the phosphor layer around the lights has been ‘delaminated’—peeled off—exposing the blue LED light underneath. . . . people driving at night may notice a moving object in their peripheral vision more quickly under bluish-white light than under yellowish-white light, . . .  Gaining improved peripheral vision under blue-tinged light comes with a trade-off, however: once the moving object comes into focus, it becomes harder to see. . . . blue- and violet-saturated light can worsen people’s ability to see details because of the lack of blue-sensitive cones in the center of the retina.”

Karen Kwon.  2023. “Streetlights Are Mysteriously Turning Purple.  Here’s Why.”  Scientific American,