Editor’s Note: Every week, Breaking Bronx features a health-related story, event or tidbit as part of an online expansion of our Be Healthy! column.

Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott, Corporation Counsel Michael A. Cardozo, and City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn announced in May that a settlement had been made between the Department of Education and New York Communities for Change to accelerate the removal of contaminant-filled light fixtures in 645 schools across the city.

Many school light fixtures still used by these schools contain PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls), a set of toxic chemicals that were used in building materials and electrical products. The use of PCBs was banned by Congress in 1979. However, the EPA has permitted the use of some PCB equipment, including light fixtures.

The new replacement plan will take a total of three and a half years as opposed to the original 10-year plan originally set to be completed in 2021.

“Since the beginning of this proposed plan, I have always said that we would reassess the timeline once we had a better understanding of the work,” said Walcott in a statement. “We will continue to listen to parents’ concerns and do as much as we can to build the best possible school environment for our students.”

Congressmen Jose E. Serrano, Joseph Crowley and Jerrold Nadler, who have led efforts to address the issue since the first reports of PCBs in New York City school came out in 2007, applauded the recent settlement.

“The very real dangers of harmful toxins in our classrooms make urgent action on PCBs a top priority and I’m pleased that with this settlement, the cleanup process can finally move forward,” said Crowley in a statement the day after the settlement was announced.