Says They Do Not Comply With The Relevant ISO Standard
Some eclipse glasses sold by Amazon have been recalled, though the manufacturer says they are safe for viewing the total eclipse August 21.
Amazon notified customers who had purchased eclipse glasses offered by Agena Astro because they do not comply with the relevant ISO standard that will protect user's eyes from being damaged while viewing the eclipse.
GeekWire reports that it received a statement from Amazon saying that "Safety is among our highest priorities. Out of an abundance of caution, we have proactively reached out to customers and provided refunds for eclipse glasses that may not comply with industry standards. We want customers to buy with confidence anytime they make a purchase on Amazon.com, and eclipse glasses sold on Amazon.com are required to comply with the relevant ISO standard.”
About two weeks ago, the American Astronomical Society (AAS) reported that some vendors were offering glasses that do not block enough radiation for safe viewing. Some were even printing false information on the cardboard glasses. Several well-known retailers, such as Best Buy, 7-Eleven, Lowes, Walmart and Toys 'R' Us. A complete list, as well as a list of recommended glasses and hand-held viewers can be found on their website. (eclipse.aas.org/resources/solar-filters).
Agena Astro says that their glasses are safe, and that Amazon's recall is unwarranted. "On Sat, Aug 12, Amazon sent an email to all customers who had purchased several solar products (glasses or viewing cards) from us that that product they received from us may not be safe or certified, and they recommended that customers not use these items. This is completely untrue and incorrect," the company said in a statement posted on its website.
"Baader Planetarium AstroSolar Gold/Silver glasses and Thousand Oaks glasses/film/viewing cards are 100% safe and compliant with all required CE and ISO standards.
"In fact, these are just two brands of five solar glasses that NASA recommends. Furthermore, Baader Planetarium, Alpine Astronomical (Baader's exclusive US distributor and our source for this item), Thousand Oaks Optical, and Agena AstroProducts (our company) are all listed as reputable retailers by the American Astronomical Society to buy these products from (https://eclipse.aas.org/resources/solar-filters).
"If you purchased Baader Planetarium or Thousand Oaks items from us via our website here, directly from us on Amazon (seller name "agenaastro"), or from us but shipped by Amazon, then you have a 100% safe and genuine product that you do not need to worry about.
"Enjoy the eclipse!"
(Pictured eclipse glasses purchased by the editor from Lowes)
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