A high school in the northern suburbs of Montreal had to throw away 3,700 pairs of eclipse viewing glasses ordered on Amazon, some of which had already been distributed to students, after learning that they were counterfeits.
The Saint-Jérôme comprehensive school began distributing these glasses on Wednesday.
The Rivière-du-Nord school service center indicates that they were ordered through Amazon from a recommended supplier, American Paper Optics. Their filters were then certified and complied with the international standard ISO 12312-2.
However, members of the School’s staff discovered a notice published by the supplier warning that certain counterfeit glasses copying its own were circulating, says a spokesperson for the CSS de la Rivière-du-Nord, Nadyne Brochu.
After consultation with specialists at the Science Center in Montreal, “it was decided to throw away all the glasses in order to avoid the risks,” she explains. A pair of glasses per student had been ordered and a few more for staff members, or around 3,700, she said.
Not tested or certified
Parents of students were notified by email and text message.
“If your child has received a pair, we ask that you DO NOT use it and throw it away. Unfortunately, despite our desire to provide this experience to your young people, it turned out that the said glasses did not comply with the intended protections,” we can read in the message consulted by The Press.
On its website, American Paper Optics warns that “unfortunately, many sellers offer ISO-certified eclipse glasses that have not been tested and certified” and adds that these sellers “have also been known to list us as manufacturers of their glasses, which is also false.
The company specifies that the only way to ensure that the glasses are “100%” safe is to obtain them directly from its website.
Other issues
The staff of the Saint-Jérôme comprehensive school would not be the only ones to have experienced issues with glasses ordered on the Amazon site.
In an email sent to a reader of The Pressthe company warns the latter that the product he ordered (eclipse viewing glasses) “was not on the American Astronomical Society’s list of safe suppliers of solar eclipse glasses and therefore may not not be sure to observe the solar eclipse.
On March 22, the American Astronomy Society (AAS) warned the public against the sale of counterfeit or non-compliant glasses on the internet.
“It appears that one or more unidentified factories in China are producing counterfeit eclipse viewing glasses bearing the name and address of another Chinese factory, Cangnan County Qiwei Craft Co, which is known to manufacture safe products,” we can read in the message posted on the organization’s website.
1000 times darker
However, it can be hazardous for beginners to determine whether their glasses are indeed safe for viewing an eclipse. “There is no way to know if eclipse glasses are actually safe, but it is easy to know if they are not,” says its project manager, in the SSA warning. Rick Fienberg.
If, through your glasses worn indoors, you can distinguish furniture or paintings on the wall, they are not dark enough for observing the Sun, we summarize.
The eclipse viewing glasses are equipped with an ISO 12312-2 certified filter. This filter is so opaque that only light emanating directly from the Sun is visible through it – it is 1000 times darker than ordinary solar lenses.
When obtained from a reliable supplier – for example, an astronomy store or a public establishment – and marked ISO 12312-2 and not scratched or damaged, these glasses should be able to be used without problem to watch an eclipse.
Ordinary sunglasses, even with the best UV protection, do not sufficiently protect the eyes when viewing the Sun directly.