BRUNSWICK, Ohio — With the solar eclipse 45 days away, you may want to make sure you have the right glasses to watch; one Brunswick company said there are ways to ensure the ones you use are safe.
For more than two decades, ICS Laboratories in Brunswick has tested personal protection equipment or PPE.
“So our laboratory focuses on testing personal protective equipment PPE, and we are accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation for our competence to test certain test methods,” Stephen Pfriem, the Manager of compliance quality and regulatory affairs at ICS laboratories.
But with April 8 coming fast, they have spent months making sure solar eclipse glasses made by other companies meet ISO-12312-2 standards.
“We test to make sure that enough light doesn't pass through the lens so you're not burning your retinas when you look at the sun,” said Michael Main, the Lab technician for ICS laboratories.
So, each pair of glasses goes through several assessments to ensure that when looking at the sky, the right amount of light can get through.
“Normally people think of solar eclipse glasses, they're like, oh, no, you're going to be too light. There's actually reports where we've gotten, they're too dark,” said Main.
Once ICS is done with the testing, the company gets a report stating if they meet the standards.
So, for those shopping for glasses, you can also check if your glasses or safe and tested.
First, check the label for ISO-12312-2 labeling and make sure you buy from a credible vendor.
“A lot of high-volume sales platforms that would carry solar eclipse filters usually require that a seller would have evidence that their product meets the applicable performance standards,” said Pfriem.
Second, put the glasses on, you shouldn’t be able to see your hand in front of your face and third, you can use your phone as well to check.
“ You can look at your phone flashlight. If you look at your phone flashlight through the lens can faintly see, the light source coming from your phone flashlight,” said Main.
It's important to get the right glasses so you don't hurt yourself trying to see the solar eclipse.
“You do not want to go blind for looking at something as fun as a solar eclipse,” said Main.
To ensure you have approved glasses, ICS worked with NASA and the American Astronomical Society, which has a list of solar eclipse-approved glasses and vendors.
Click here for that list.
