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The Illinois Department of Health has issued an alert to residents after several pairs of solar eclipse glasses sold in the state were recalled for “potentially failing to meet safety standards.”
According to the alert, the glasses were reportedly sold through Amazon and at least six stores in Southern Illinois. Southern Illinois is a prime viewing area for the eclipse, with some cities, including Carbondale, in the 2024 total solar eclipse’s “path of totality.”
The now-recalled glasses were sold on Amazon under the branding, “Biniki Solar Eclipse Glasses AAS Approved 2024 – CE & ISO Certified Safe Shades for Direct Sun Viewing (6 Packs),” the alert states. They were also sold at the following retailers in Southern Illinois:
- Farm Fresh Market, Breese, IL
- Highland Tru Buy, Highland, IL
- Perry County Marketplace, Pinckneyville, IL
- Sinclair Foods, Jerseyville, IL
- Steelville Marketplace, Steelville, IL
- Big John Grocery, Metropolis, IL
“The recalled glasses are labeled as ‘EN ISO 12312-1:2022,’ the IDPH alert said. “Proper safety glasses should carry the ISO designation of 12312-2.”
Some of the impacted stores over the weekend posted on social media about the recalled glasses.
“If you have purchased solar eclipse glasses from Farm Fresh please do not use them. You can return them,” a Saturday Facebook post from Farm Fresh Market said. “We have just gotten word form the company we purchased them from there may be a problem with them and they may not block out all the harmful UV rays. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
MORE: Finding solar eclipse glasses in Chicago: Where to get them, and how to know if they work
Retailers in other parts of the country also issued warnings about the recall.
“DO NOT USE! Please check your solar eclipse glasses,” a Facebook post from Fink’s ALPS in Union, Missouri, read. The Facebook post referenced glasses with an EN ISO number 12312-1: 2022.
Similar Facebook messages were posted from nearby retailers in Missouri, including K & R Market in Marthasville, and St. Clair Country Mart in St. Clair.
According to a report from NBC affiliate WHEC in Rochester, New York, some people who purchased the recalled glasses from Amazon received an email from the online marketplace, saying the glasses were in fact not safe to view the eclipse with, and that the packaging labeling of “AAS Approved” is in fact incorrect.
“Dear Amazon Customer, We write to notify you of a potential safety concern with a product that you purchased on Amazon.com,” the email read in part. “Affected Product: Biniki Solar Eclipse Glasses AAS Approved 2024 – CE & ISO Certified Safe Shades for Direct Sun Viewing (6 Packs). The product listed above was not included in the American Astronomical Society’s list of safe suppliers of solar eclipse viewers and filters and therefore may not be safe for viewing a solar eclipse.”
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The note went on to suggested that customers who purchased the glasses should not use them to view Monday’s solar eclipse.
An Amazon spokesperson told the news station in a statement that the notifications were done “out of an abundance of caution.”
“We continuously monitor our store for non-compliant products, and when we discover a product was undetected by our proactive checks, we address the issue immediately and refine our controls,” the statement read in part. “If customers have concerns about an item they’ve purchased, we encourage them to contact our Customer Service directly so we can address any questions they may have. We regret any inconvenience this may have caused our customers.”
How to know if your solar eclipse glasses work
According to the Adler Planetarium, viewing the solar eclipse without proper eyewear can result in irreversible eye damage within seconds, and as your eyes lack the nerve endings to register pain as it’s occurring.
What’s more, your pupils will be more dilated as the eclipse occurs, allowing more harmful rays to enter your eyes than on a normal sunny day.
Regular sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe to view the eclipse.
With the danger of irreversible eye damage present in the event of viewing the eclipse unprotected, it’s critical to ensure that the solar eclipse glasses used are not counterfeit.
But there’s no real way to detect real glasses versus counterfeit ones just by looking at them.
“The glasses if they’re counterfeit, they may appear fine, because maybe they’re dark enough that you can that it appears…
Read More: Illinois warns of recalled glasses sold on Amazon, in stores – NBC Chicago