Chicago Moves Closer To Installing LED Street Lamps
(CBS) -- Chicago is another step closer to losing the orange glow from its streetlights.
WBBM's Steve Miller reports.
The public comment period officially ended Monday for the city's plan to start replacing 270,000 outdated streetlights with LED lights.
As the new, cheaper, longer-lasting LED lights replace the old, high-pressure sodium lights, the city will be in a whiter shade of light.
"Please, Mayor. Please. Keep our amber-colored lights."
So says Audrey Fischer of the Chicago Astronomical Society. She says the use of blue-rich white LEDs will lead to what's called "light trespass" and disrupt circadian rhythms and mess with peoples' melatonin production.
"And that gives you a higher risk for breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer," she says.
The LED model is supposed to last a lot longer and be cheaper.
Chicago Transportation Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld says the plan for streetlights is within guidelines.
"With any change, folks are going to have a lot of opinions," she says. "We take that seriously and we believe we have and we will continue to do so."
The public comment period is officially over, but the city says it will still take comments.
