Pedestrians passing Chicago's federal buildings late last month might have wondered why shreds of Christmas lights rained down on them as workers from Kinsella Landscape, Inc. began climbing ladders and cherry pickers to slice down the decorations.

The lights were then thrown away, with possibly dire environmental effects.

"It's too hard to take them down," Kinsella Vice President Gregory Semmer said when asked why the lights were disposed of in such a manner. "They break when you take them down, and they're very inexpensive."

In fact, Semmer said 100-light strands that the company used to light trees cost about $4.50, which is less than an hour's minimum wage.

Kinsella, based in Blue Island, is in charge of 25 trees in front of four federal buildings in Chicago, in addition to decorations for about 20 other buildings, Semmer said.

But as the trash goes into landfills, so does lead, a metal known to cause cancer, birth defects and neurological damage. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates lead as a hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

While all incandescent lights contain lead in the wires that connect to the filament, the impact is greater with Christmas lights, which come on a string with many bulbs.

In addition, the wires in the lights are coated with PVC plastic, which incorporates lead for flexibility. Recently, California officials enacted a law requiring makers of Christmas lights to post warnings on boxes urging consumers to wash their hands after use.