OBSERVER Staff Report

A company in China is the manufacturer of the glasses purchased by Chautauqua County for Monday’s eclipse.

In a news release issued around 11:20 a.m., the county shared the document it received Monday morning. The manufacturer is Shenzhen POCE Technology Co. LTD. based in Shenzhen, China. The total cost was $50,000.

As part of the release, the county sent this message: “We want to reassure our residents that the solar eclipse glasses provided by Chautauqua County are not only certified but also undergo stringent safety measures. These glasses were purchased from Fyre Marketing LLC in Florida through a comprehensive public procurement bid process, ensuring the highest quality and safety standards.

“The product description on the Fyre Marketing invoice explicitly states that the glasses are made from Paper Board, equipped with shade 14 safe solar lenses specifically for eclipse viewing. Furthermore, they are CE certified and ISO compliant, meeting the international safety standard ISO #12312-2. The manufacturing safety information is printed on each product, providing additional assurance of their safety for eclipse viewing.

“We encourage everyone to utilize these glasses responsibly and enjoy the eclipse safely. More information on eclipse safety is available online at [CHQGov.com/eclipse]CHQGov.com/eclipse.”

The manufacturer or Fyre Marketing are not on a list of suppliers of safe viewers and filters on the American Astronomical Society web page. “If you don’t see a vendor listed on this page, it does not mean their products are unsafe — with so many sellers out there, it’s impossible for us to vet them all,” the American Astronomical Society wrote.

“As of February 8th — T (totality) minus 2 months — we are no longer adding vendors to this page. Any company worthy of your business should have established itself well before last October’s annular solar eclipse across the Americas, let alone well before this coming April’s eclipse!”

Companies listed on the society’s web page include: American Paper Optics / eclipseglasses.com / Eclipser; Flip’n Shades (clip-ons for baseball caps);Halo Eclipse Spectacles; Celestial Optical (EclipseGuard glasses^ | SolarShield sheets); Grafix Plastics (sheets & rolls, wholesale only); DayStar Filters; American PaperWear (Solar Rollens viewers); Seymour Solar (Hyperion sheets); Rainbow Symphony / Eclipse Shades and Thousand Oaks Optical.

The certificate of conformity “is based on a single evaluation of the submitted sample(s) of the above mentioned product. It does not imply an assessment of the whole production and other relevant directives have to be observed.”