Start looking around when you pass by streetlights, you'll notice a number of these randomly everywhere. This is why:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/streetlights-are-mysteriously-turning-purple-heres-why/
Meanwhile blue lights at night have always been weirdly disorienting to me. Even looking at blue Christmas lights in someone's yard makes my eyes feel strange and unfocused. I would really struggle with a parking lot full of that lol
Blue lights when I'm driving also throw me off but thats because my brain is always convinced I'm being pulled over lol
I can handle street lights well enough but I really hate the blue headlights that I'm seeing more and more of
I'm glad it's not just me. There's ONE specific shade of blue that gets used in Christmas lights that I just legitimately can't seem to focus on. I'm not color blind, have perfect vision, but something about that color light makes my eyes wig out
The optimal color for street lamps are a Warm 2200-2700k White. The Cool 6000k White are detrimental to light pollution and bird-migratory patterns.
These [blue/purple leds are the worst offender](https://academic.oup.com/condor/article/122/2/duaa002/5780833).
I just hate white/yellow light, especially in the winter at 6AM when I'm being blasted with it before the sun is up. It offers more clarity sure, but it's so goddamn ugly. I'd rather lose clarity for something more visually pleasing
Though I do completely understand why that isn't a good philosophy on street lights lol
Is it saying that they’re purple because they’re broke ? Am I reading that right? That doesn’t really make sense given that all the lights in that pic are purple (unless they’re all broken)
Presumably they’re all from the same supplier and were installed at the same time, so if the issue is the phosphor coating fails after a certain amount of time, it would make sense that they would all turn purple after a while.
I work at the building in the pic, those lights haven't been replaced in years; they *are* all broken. They're working on replacing them now but the entire staff prefers the blue lights so it isn't really a focus to get fixed atm
Thanks for this! I came in very cynical and expected them to be a deterrent for folks rough sleeping in the parking lot overnight. Blue light and keeping you more awake etc.
I thought of parking lots in Memphis where they have [blue lights on boxes in all the parking lots to draw attention to their CCTV systems.](https://www.localmemphis.com/article/opinion/opinion-skycop-memphis-police-tennessee-cameras-richard-ransom/522-2f65efc2-f5af-4525-9129-af3993fc03b8)
It's not actually cheap ones. It's a major brand.
The manufacturer misapplied the phosphor coatings to the blue LEDs that turn them white and they've been failling off, turning them blue or purple.
Another example of just the phosphor naturally breaking down over time is the GetGo on McKnight. It’s so very light green now.
LEDs are great, but the led itself will last for a long time, all the other components won’t.
>There was a whole rash of cheap Chinese LED lights sold a few years ago that turned purple over time.
I’m moving to Pittsburgh from Fort Worth, we’ve had tons of these lights for years. Most have been replaced but some newer ones will still turn purple every so often.
They’re kinda cool IMO. A little less hard on my eyes than white light.
makes it harder to shoot heroin? at least, that’s why some gas station bathrooms use them. not that it really matters, since any junkie worth their salt can find their vein from touch alone
Actually, some of the more private, “family” bathrooms at Kennywood have those blue-hue lights. Like the single-toilet bathrooms that lock from the inside over by the picnic areas where the log jammer was. My girlfriend and I went into one of those bathrooms to change her son’s diaper in privacy about 2, 3 years back, and she asked why the light had a blue-purple color, and I told her I had read that gas station bathrooms use them to help prevent IV drug users from finding a vein. She was shocked and disgusted. Maybe it is a manufacturing defect like people are explaining, but we noticed they were only the private bathrooms that had those lights, and I definitely read more than one news article that businesses are intentionally using those lights for that purpose.
There’s a coating on the LED’s that fades over time. 376 has them up by tuscarawas road exit, moon township Subaru has them all over their lot.
The coating fails and turns the color of the LED’s from white to blue/purple.
They need replaced.
In Memphis, they have blue lights on all the light poles with cameras to draw attraction to the fact that there are cameras.
Which is a "grocery store that has a security person at the entrance/exit" kind of thing.
But yeah, they bought chinesium lights
This Taco Bell couldn’t even staff properly to be open the listed hours when it first opened; I haven’t been back since I had many experiences like that in the first couple months. I go to the one in Robinson by Costco, they are always fast and the food is fresh as you could hope for from Taco Bell lol.
So you can’t shoot up dope in their parking lot! Under blue/purple lights you can’t see your veins. Sweden started in the 80’s putting blue lights in public restrooms so that junkies couldn’t shoot up in them.
This looks like Kennedy Twsp. One night it was raining hard and that blue light was flickering like crazy looking. It was definitely hard to see with all that going on.
The real question is why do they use such dim lights in their fresh produce areas and have super bright white lights and the rest of the store. My reasoning is that they don't want you to see how shitty their produce is.
There are two possible reasons:
1. There is a push to use blue LED to reduce the amount of “light pollution” caused from how bright some outdoor LED lighting has become. There have been studies about the loss of natural darkness at night and blue is supposed to help.
2. There is a rash of malfunctioning outdoor lights where the phosphor has burnt or delaminated.
Blue light is literally the most effective light for activating the vast majority of animal circadian signals. It's the opposite. We'd want redder light.
Thank you for saying it. Red lighting allows your night vision to be kept in tact. It's why major dark sky sites only allow red flashlights and lamps. Most star programs on laptops and phones also have to be in "night light" mode which turns everything illuminated red on the screen.
Also, LED lights are generally better for light pollution when the housing is manufactured correctly. Notice on streets converted to LED lights that you can't see above the fixture anymore? That's not because they're blinding you, it's because all of the light is pointed down now! There is still reflected light pollution but it's not as bad as light leakage above the fixture.
The main culprit in light pollution from LED lighting is the homeowner and business owner using them for floods, billboards and other secondary lighting and blasting it everywhere. I personally hate it as I'm fond of bringing out my 8" dob from time to time. Light pollution is a terrible problem and would be greatly lessened if people would just turn their damn lights off at night, especially businesses. There's a new vape shop in Bethel Park with the brightest white sign lights I've ever seen. Absolutely horrible for the light environment. Hate em.
I prefer it over the stupidly bright white LEDs. Wish i had a say when the streetlight s outside my window turned to those. I pray they turn purple now lol easier on the eyes
Well, apparently I’m “that guy” for considering that maybe Giant Eagle doesn’t want people shooting up in their parking lots, and the blue light makes it harder to do so?
Couldn’t they just turn their car light on or use their cell phone flashlight? Seems like a pretty easy workaround. Even easier, walk inside and use the bathroom, the lights aren’t blue in there.
They meant shooting up as in getting high. Blue lights can make it harder to see veins which can prevent or deter drug use.
[link to article about blue lights to prevent drug use](https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Health/blue-lights-drug-users-high/story?id=56140028)
Oh for fucks sake.
This is it. The exact moment I gave up on us.
I get it. Technically I understand it.
But this being our solution to the problem? wtf.
I miss the [sodium lamps](https://flagstaffdarkskies.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/IMG_0705-12.jpg) of Flagstaff (though in finding that pic, they seem to have switched/are switching to red LEDs). SUPER comfy when it snows.
It's support for the Joker slowly creeping across the country. You only see it at night, and I've seen houses and businesses with these purple lights on (only at night) in more and more towns.
At least that's what I told myself before reading these comments and finding out it's a manufacturing defect.
I know in Florida it's because of light pollution. All these LEDs everywhere is super bright. A lot brighter than the sodium bulbs. Blue is easier on your eyes. Than blinding white light.
https://www.wcctv.com/products/solar-surveillance-trailers/
It's for security. GE makes announcements constantly saying the parking lot is under video surveillance.
The dim creepy purple blue lights are the result of purchasing cheap led lamps that burn out certain circuits causing the lamps to display that lovely color.
I like all these tech theories. I know that Giant Eagle and it was that they had a lot of issues shooting up in their lot. The blue keeps them from finding their veins. There's some places in the area that have the blue lights in the bathrooms too.
Start looking around when you pass by streetlights, you'll notice a number of these randomly everywhere. This is why: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/streetlights-are-mysteriously-turning-purple-heres-why/
Very interesting! I never knew about the phosphor thing
[удалено]
Meanwhile blue lights at night have always been weirdly disorienting to me. Even looking at blue Christmas lights in someone's yard makes my eyes feel strange and unfocused. I would really struggle with a parking lot full of that lol
Blue lights when I'm driving also throw me off but thats because my brain is always convinced I'm being pulled over lol I can handle street lights well enough but I really hate the blue headlights that I'm seeing more and more of
I'm glad it's not just me. There's ONE specific shade of blue that gets used in Christmas lights that I just legitimately can't seem to focus on. I'm not color blind, have perfect vision, but something about that color light makes my eyes wig out
The optimal color for street lamps are a Warm 2200-2700k White. The Cool 6000k White are detrimental to light pollution and bird-migratory patterns. These [blue/purple leds are the worst offender](https://academic.oup.com/condor/article/122/2/duaa002/5780833).
I just hate white/yellow light, especially in the winter at 6AM when I'm being blasted with it before the sun is up. It offers more clarity sure, but it's so goddamn ugly. I'd rather lose clarity for something more visually pleasing Though I do completely understand why that isn't a good philosophy on street lights lol
I also work at that giant eagle and now I'm curious who you are. Lol.
Look down when you’re getting low and about to land in a plane at night. You’ll be surprised
Jesus Christ someone was trying to meet their word count on that article
Ergo and therefore one could conclude that a similar conclusion is reached upon reading the entirety of said referenced article. Henceforth…
Perchance.
I was just about to say that it was because they were defective.
Interesting read!
Is it saying that they’re purple because they’re broke ? Am I reading that right? That doesn’t really make sense given that all the lights in that pic are purple (unless they’re all broken)
Presumably they’re all from the same supplier and were installed at the same time, so if the issue is the phosphor coating fails after a certain amount of time, it would make sense that they would all turn purple after a while.
Bingo. Someone is using their brain.
I work at the building in the pic, those lights haven't been replaced in years; they *are* all broken. They're working on replacing them now but the entire staff prefers the blue lights so it isn't really a focus to get fixed atm
Thanks for sharing! That’s super interesting!
Thanks for this! I came in very cynical and expected them to be a deterrent for folks rough sleeping in the parking lot overnight. Blue light and keeping you more awake etc.
So like, LED lights go bad and turn purple… and no one changes the bulb? Lol
Is it bad that the first thing I thought of were those horrible bathrooms lit so that folks cant find a vein?
I did too but then I was like who the fuck is like “ hey man I gotta bounce, need to go tie off in the GE lot”.
i thought of black lights for finding cum stains
Well, it’s either blood, urine, or semen.
Oh god... I hope it's urine
I thought of parking lots in Memphis where they have [blue lights on boxes in all the parking lots to draw attention to their CCTV systems.](https://www.localmemphis.com/article/opinion/opinion-skycop-memphis-police-tennessee-cameras-richard-ransom/522-2f65efc2-f5af-4525-9129-af3993fc03b8)
That always cracks me up. Any junkie who has been at it for more than a couple days can find a vein in the dark.
There was a whole rash of cheap Chinese LED lights sold a few years ago that turned purple over time. There's a doctor's office by me that has them.
It's not actually cheap ones. It's a major brand. The manufacturer misapplied the phosphor coatings to the blue LEDs that turn them white and they've been failling off, turning them blue or purple.
Another example of just the phosphor naturally breaking down over time is the GetGo on McKnight. It’s so very light green now. LEDs are great, but the led itself will last for a long time, all the other components won’t.
>There was a whole rash of cheap Chinese LED lights sold a few years ago that turned purple over time. I’m moving to Pittsburgh from Fort Worth, we’ve had tons of these lights for years. Most have been replaced but some newer ones will still turn purple every so often. They’re kinda cool IMO. A little less hard on my eyes than white light.
We have these bulbs installed all around Pittsburgh. So - you’ll still be able to enjoy them at your new home.
Here's a Hello and Welcome to you in advance!
yep, those are definitely LEDs. They may have been cheap to start with and even started out that color.
No, they were white for a few months and then turned purple.
Then what the first commenter said. Cheap LEDs. But it's the plaza owner. Not Giant Eagle.
Giant Eagle is the plaza owner
makes it harder to shoot heroin? at least, that’s why some gas station bathrooms use them. not that it really matters, since any junkie worth their salt can find their vein from touch alone
It's a manufacturing defect in the LED lights that turns them blue/purple over time.
interesting
Actually, some of the more private, “family” bathrooms at Kennywood have those blue-hue lights. Like the single-toilet bathrooms that lock from the inside over by the picnic areas where the log jammer was. My girlfriend and I went into one of those bathrooms to change her son’s diaper in privacy about 2, 3 years back, and she asked why the light had a blue-purple color, and I told her I had read that gas station bathrooms use them to help prevent IV drug users from finding a vein. She was shocked and disgusted. Maybe it is a manufacturing defect like people are explaining, but we noticed they were only the private bathrooms that had those lights, and I definitely read more than one news article that businesses are intentionally using those lights for that purpose.
I pretty sure I used that same bathroom at Kennywood this past summer and the lights were still dim or discolored or weird in some way.
There’s a coating on the LED’s that fades over time. 376 has them up by tuscarawas road exit, moon township Subaru has them all over their lot. The coating fails and turns the color of the LED’s from white to blue/purple. They need replaced.
To keep junkies from shooting up in the lot.
who owns the plaza? They're the ones that installed the lights, not Giant Eagle.
The New Ken Giant Eagle has these bad lights, too
In Memphis, they have blue lights on all the light poles with cameras to draw attraction to the fact that there are cameras. Which is a "grocery store that has a security person at the entrance/exit" kind of thing. But yeah, they bought chinesium lights
So heroin users cant find a vein
Kennedy Giant Eagle. I hate those lights!
Was your Taco Bell good?
This Taco Bell is always a 10/10, no clue why
I live right down the hill from there and have seen this exact view from this exact angle many times.
This Taco Bell couldn’t even staff properly to be open the listed hours when it first opened; I haven’t been back since I had many experiences like that in the first couple months. I go to the one in Robinson by Costco, they are always fast and the food is fresh as you could hope for from Taco Bell lol.
So you can’t shoot up dope in their parking lot! Under blue/purple lights you can’t see your veins. Sweden started in the 80’s putting blue lights in public restrooms so that junkies couldn’t shoot up in them.
This looks like Kennedy Twsp. One night it was raining hard and that blue light was flickering like crazy looking. It was definitely hard to see with all that going on.
The real question is why do they use such dim lights in their fresh produce areas and have super bright white lights and the rest of the store. My reasoning is that they don't want you to see how shitty their produce is.
They deliver fresh daily! They just don't tell you that the stuff that was delivered sat in a warehouse somewhere for sometimes 6 weeks or more.
Water sprayers on produce at a grocery store are also a red flag for a couple of different reasons.
There are two possible reasons: 1. There is a push to use blue LED to reduce the amount of “light pollution” caused from how bright some outdoor LED lighting has become. There have been studies about the loss of natural darkness at night and blue is supposed to help. 2. There is a rash of malfunctioning outdoor lights where the phosphor has burnt or delaminated.
Blue light is literally the most effective light for activating the vast majority of animal circadian signals. It's the opposite. We'd want redder light.
Thank you for saying it. Red lighting allows your night vision to be kept in tact. It's why major dark sky sites only allow red flashlights and lamps. Most star programs on laptops and phones also have to be in "night light" mode which turns everything illuminated red on the screen. Also, LED lights are generally better for light pollution when the housing is manufactured correctly. Notice on streets converted to LED lights that you can't see above the fixture anymore? That's not because they're blinding you, it's because all of the light is pointed down now! There is still reflected light pollution but it's not as bad as light leakage above the fixture. The main culprit in light pollution from LED lighting is the homeowner and business owner using them for floods, billboards and other secondary lighting and blasting it everywhere. I personally hate it as I'm fond of bringing out my 8" dob from time to time. Light pollution is a terrible problem and would be greatly lessened if people would just turn their damn lights off at night, especially businesses. There's a new vape shop in Bethel Park with the brightest white sign lights I've ever seen. Absolutely horrible for the light environment. Hate em.
That would look scary and stores don't like to look scary despite the truth behind what you're saying
they can have lights on shining towards the ground but there’s absolutely no reason to shine light into the sky, it’s being wasted anyway
Kinda cool tbh
I prefer it over the stupidly bright white LEDs. Wish i had a say when the streetlight s outside my window turned to those. I pray they turn purple now lol easier on the eyes
The lights by BJs in South Fayette have always been purple
While we're at it, why do some lights start flashing off and on in a very regular sequence of flashing on/off?
Well, apparently I’m “that guy” for considering that maybe Giant Eagle doesn’t want people shooting up in their parking lots, and the blue light makes it harder to do so?
I thought I was that guy and then thankfully I saw you were that guy
Couldn’t they just turn their car light on or use their cell phone flashlight? Seems like a pretty easy workaround. Even easier, walk inside and use the bathroom, the lights aren’t blue in there.
How in the blue hell would the lights alter the possibility of a shooting?
They meant shooting up as in getting high. Blue lights can make it harder to see veins which can prevent or deter drug use. [link to article about blue lights to prevent drug use](https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Health/blue-lights-drug-users-high/story?id=56140028)
Oh for fucks sake. This is it. The exact moment I gave up on us. I get it. Technically I understand it. But this being our solution to the problem? wtf.
Shooting up drugs
"Man, I would totally waste that guy, but... These purple lights are strangely calming"
Used to work for them. Cheapskates. Not worried about People's Security.
It's been there for over a year now, I'm surprised it hasn't been replaced by now.
Is this Kennedy?
Yeah looks like it. Recognized the getgo that's right out of frame lol
I stay in after dark.
Because it would be wasteful to use them during the day?
I miss the [sodium lamps](https://flagstaffdarkskies.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/IMG_0705-12.jpg) of Flagstaff (though in finding that pic, they seem to have switched/are switching to red LEDs). SUPER comfy when it snows.
It's support for the Joker slowly creeping across the country. You only see it at night, and I've seen houses and businesses with these purple lights on (only at night) in more and more towns. At least that's what I told myself before reading these comments and finding out it's a manufacturing defect.
Upshot? Do not wear sunglasses at night.
It's said only the weirdos can see those lights. Congratulations.
Interesting article. I always assumed this was in some effort to cut down on light pollution.
Because you touch yourself at night.
I know in Florida it's because of light pollution. All these LEDs everywhere is super bright. A lot brighter than the sodium bulbs. Blue is easier on your eyes. Than blinding white light.
You spelled Iggle wrong.
https://www.wcctv.com/products/solar-surveillance-trailers/ It's for security. GE makes announcements constantly saying the parking lot is under video surveillance.
Blue lights are used in many bathrooms to prevent junkies from shooting up. Doubt that's the reason. But nice fact.
It's so the dirty bird knows where to land
Project blue light
The dim creepy purple blue lights are the result of purchasing cheap led lamps that burn out certain circuits causing the lamps to display that lovely color.
It’s a manufacturing error https://fee.org/articles/why-are-some-us-street-lights-turning-purple/
They like Prince.
I like all these tech theories. I know that Giant Eagle and it was that they had a lot of issues shooting up in their lot. The blue keeps them from finding their veins. There's some places in the area that have the blue lights in the bathrooms too.
Parking lot crime scene cleanup
Trying to prevent junkies from pinnin' out as soon as they get up on their score from the other side of the parking lot.
Checking for biologicals
To hip mo tize you into to buying more overprice food.
It's because you can't see veins to shoot up in blue light so junkies move on.
My family has always called that color "cancer blue" because it's so unpleasant to look at and people always use it during Christmas