GEORGETOWN, SC (WBTW) – The City of Georgetown is warning people who picked up eclipse glasses from a number of city buildings that the glasses are not safe to use.

City officials announced on Facebook that they received an email early Monday morning from the vendor it used to purchase eclipse glasses. An excerpt from the email is below.“Due to the recent media frenzy regarding suppliers of eclipse glasses we would like to advise you.

Like any good online distributor we use only trusted suppliers that have either good history with ourselves, or have been recommended via our trade association. These rules were adhered to when supplying the custom Eclipse Glasses.After recent discussions with our supply chain they have confirmed that the goods meet their standards. However, due to issues with the product’s certification, we have decided that we would like to carry out our own tests to give our customers extra peace of mind. Unfortunately due to the time-span we are now unable to carry out these tests before the eclipse this coming Monday.Therefore we recommend that customers do not use the glasses and make contact with our team to arrange a full refund.”

Georgetown officials now say anyone who picked up the glasses pictured above from a city building do not use the glasses. The glasses were distributed at:

  • Georgetown City Hall
  • Fire Station 1
  • Georgetown Police Department

The Facebook post goes on to say that city officials did everything necessary to confirm the glasses were safe to use before purchase.

“The city did its due diligence by verifying with the vendor that the glasses did ‘hold ISO certification and so are completely safe to use’ in a July 24th, 2017 correspondence prior to purchasing them,” the post reads.

The city has a very small quantity of glasses from another vendor that can be picked up at Georgetown City Hall Monday morning. The City sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience that this vendor has caused at this late hour and wants to ensure the safety of its employees,

“The city sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience that this vendor has caused at this late hour and wants to ensure the safety of its employees, citizens and visitors,” the post concludes.