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Solar eclipse glasses sold on Amazon, in stores recalled: Illinois health officials say

By Maggie Duly
Published  April 8, 2024 11:52am CDT
Eclipses
FOX 32 Chicago

Eclipse glasses sold on Amazon recalled

Check your solar eclipse safety glasses before you look to the sky. The Illinois Department of Public Health says certain eclipse glasses sold on Amazon and at stores in southern Illinois potentially fail to meet safety standards.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Check your eclipse safety glasses because certain brands sold on Amazon and at stores in Illinois have been recalled. 

The Illinois Department of Public Health issued a recall alert just hours before the total solar eclipse is expected to be visible in southern Illinois and Indianapolis. 

The recalled glasses were reportedly sold through Amazon as Biniki Solar Eclipse Glasses AAS Approved 2024 – CE & ISO Certified Safe Shades for Direct Sun Viewing (6 Packs).

Recalled eclipse glasses (Amazon)

Health officials say the glasses were recalled for potentially failing to meet safety standards. 

The glasses were also reportedly available at several stores in southern Illinois, including: 

  • 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

How to make your own solar eclipse viewer

Jessica Chavez, vice president of education at the Museum of Science and Industry, shows us how to make your own eclipse viewer.

The recalled glasses are labeled as "EN ISO 12312-1:2022"; proper safety glasses should carry the ISO designation of 12312-2. 

Health officials say inadequate eye protection could lead to serious damage. 

If you do not have proper eye protection, there are several other ways to view the eclipse. 

What time will the solar eclipse happen in Chicago?

The exact timing of the eclipse depends on where you are viewing it. Chicago and the surrounding suburbs will experience a partial eclipse, with an estimated 94% totality.

The partial eclipse will be visible in Chicago from 12:51 p.m. to 3:22 p.m., reaching peak totality at 2:07 p.m. Since Chicagoland is not in the path of totality, it will not be safe to view the eclipse without eclipse glasses or other tools.

Chicago suburbs like Aurora, Elgin, Crystal Lake, Joliet, Naperville and Kankakee will see peak totality around 2:06 p.m., whereas in Schaumburg and Waukegan it's 2:07 p.m.

The last time Chicagoland was this close to the path of totality for a total solar eclipse was in 2017, when the totality reached 90% — and before that the area hadn't seen one since 1869!