Questions Claims

Regarding David M. Kinchen’s article (Sept. 7) on polarized lighting panels manufactured by Polarized International Inc. of Tarzana:

I have not seen these panels, but I am a photographer and work often with polarizing filters of the sort that Mr. Kahn compares to his company’s product. Contrary to a statement in the article, polarizing filters do not “convert random light waves to light waves in the vertical plane of polarization.”

Instead, they block the transmission of light waves not in the filter’s plane of polarization. The result, at least in photographic applications, as in polarized sunglasses, is a net transmission loss of 50% to 75% of the illumination output by the light source.

It is difficult then to see how one could reduce the energy consumption of office lighting and still maintain an adequate brightness level for workers.

BOB WARE

Los Angeles