A: Zinc-sulfide Crystals absorb light energy, then release this energy in darkness. Johnsonite Permalight will "recharge" in a few minutes when exposed to daylight or artificial light.
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| Q:
How does Johnsonite Permalight illuminate? A: Zinc-sulfide Crystals absorb light energy, then release this energy in darkness. Johnsonite Permalight will "recharge" in a few minutes when exposed to daylight or artificial light. |
| Q:
Are
Johnsonite Permalight products radioactive? A: No. Johnsonite Permalight is non-toxic, inert, and free of radioactivity. This is not true of some other products on the market. |
| Q:
Does
Johnsonite Permalight require replacement? A: No. Because it utilizes light, a renewable energy source, Johnsonite Permalight luminescence may last indefinitely unless the product is severely damaged. It does not "wear out"* or diminish, there are no batteries to replace, and it does not have any mechanical parts, so it can't break down. To maintain, use the same cleaners and polishes as with ordinary vinyl and rubber products. * Refers to the photoluminescent effect. Although the Permalight material will provide wear equal to or greater than other floor tile, stair treads, etc., photoluminescence will be lost only when the product wears out entirely. |
| Q:
Can you change the color? A: Adding color pigment to the zinc-sulfide crystals diminishes brightness and duration of the luminescence. However, we are continuing to research, develop, and pursue the possibility of adding color. |
| Q:
Why
do we need photoluminescent products when building codes require electrified
systems, equipped with battery backup?* A: First, and most obviously, because natural disasters, such as hurricanes, thunderstorms, earthquakes (or such man-made disasters as terrorist bombings and accidental power-line cuts by construction crews) often eliminate electrified emergency lighting from the outset. Even in daytime, we can make no assumptions about the reliability of available light (such as that which might filter in through windows and door openings). Therefore, photoluminescent safety markings (signs, tape, paint or evacuation plans) are an important backup to mandatory emergency lighting. Second, and easily overlooked, is the fact that emergency lighting equipped with back-up batteries require regular maintenance checks of batteries and light bulbs. Since photoluminescent safety products are maintenance-free, the potential for failure attributable to human neglect is eliminated. The final - and arguably most compelling -justification? Code-required emergency lighting could be called "high -location lighting." That is , "EXIT" signs are typically suspended from the ceiling or mounted over doorways. In cases of fire, however, smoke can accumulate quickly and -- lighter than air - tends to rise. Building occupants are advised to get down on hands and knees and crawl beneath the smoke toward exits. Since high-location signage is now no longer visible, photoluminescent safety markings are installed as low-location lighting. (Earthquake prone California, for instance, requires low-location "EXIT" path markers in the bottom area of an exit door and continuous low-location path markings along the entire escape route.) * "When the lights go out..." by Marina Batzke, Screen Graphics, September/October 1997, pp. 18-26. |
| Q:
Why
eight hours duration?* A. Emergencies don't come at our convenience. The 1994 Northridge quake struck Los Angeles at 4:17 am. When all the lights failed at one downtown hotel, the escape-route plan on each hotel guest-room door was still visible to darkness-adapted eyes six hours later, long enough to make them visible until daylight, even if the emergency had occurred much earlier. *"When the lights go out..." by Marina Batzke, Screen Graphics, September/October 1997, pp. 18-26. |
| Q:
Okay,
but if I don't get out in the first few minutes, I'm probably dead or immobilized
by an injury. While I'm waiting to be rescued, six-hour luminance won't
be much help, will it?* A: In a small building, that may be true. But what about an emergency in a large hotel or office building? It took many occupants of New York City's World Trade Center up to six hours to escape from the darkened high-rise towers after the much-publicized terrorist attack in February 1993. Many had to find their way down smoke filled stairwells without any guiding lights. All the code-required high location emergency lights were in place, but the explosion knocked out both main and back-up power supplies. Post -attack evaluations showed that photoluminescent markings would have facilitated escape tremendously. *"When the lights go out..." by Marina Batzke, Screen Graphics, September/October 1997, pp. 18-26. |
| Q:
Our
budget is tight, why should we add Johnsonite Permalight? A: We feel you should not wait for a real disaster to realize the value of Safe-T-First products. Can you afford not to install Johnsonite Permalight for extra safety? |
| Q:
If Johnsonite Permalight is not required why should I specify it? A: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Johnsonite Permalight products may make the difference between life and death because they help supplement your current evacuation systems and direct people to exits in unfamiliar buildings. You could be saving a life. And by utilizing the latest technology, Johnsonite Permalight could also help limit your financial liability in the event of disaster. |
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