Last July, the media reported that a 50-year-old taxi driver crashed his car twice in a month because of blurred vision. He was later diagnosed with cataract caused by not wearing sunglasses for a long period of time and overexposure to UV rays. He recovered his vision after cataract surgery. The Bureau of Standards, Metrology & Inspection (BSMI) urges the public to wear sunglasses to protect the eyes from UV rays when doing outdoor activities for a long time.
On September 4, 2012, the BSMI revised CNS "15067 Sunglasses" based on European standard EN 1836:2005. However, with EN 1836:2005 being replaced by ISO 12312-1:2013 and ISO 12311:2013, the BSMI decided to conduct another revision based on ISO 12312-1:2013 and ISO 12311:2013 to safeguard consumers' rights. After 17 national standard technical committee meetings and integration of suggestions from representatives from the government, the industry and the academia, the BSMI is now announcing CNS 15067 "Eye and face protection - Sunglasses and related eyewear - Part 1: Sunglasses for general use" and CNS 15971 "Personal protective equipment - Test methods for sunglasses and related eyewear".
The two standards ensure that consumers feel safer when buying and using sunglasses, said the BSMI, adding that since the latest revision is based on ISO standard and conforms to WTO-TBT, the quality specification is of international standard.
CNS 15067 specifies seven test items-structure and material, transmission rate, refracting ability, strength, anti-solar radiation, ignition tolerance and label-while CNS 15971 specifies test methods. In comparison with the pre-edition standard, the revised CNS 15067 offers detailed terms, definitions and test parameters. Besides stricter equirements on UV-A and UV-B rays, there are also new requirements regarding sunglasses claiming protection against infrared ray.
The public is urged to wear sunglasses to protect the eyes for outdoor activities. During solar eclipse viewing, protective eclipse glasses should be worn. To prevent eye damage, the BSMI said that consumers wearing sunglasses should not view the sun directly.
For more information, please visit CNS Online Service at http://www.cnsonline.com.tw
Note
1)UV-A: UV-A is long wavelength (315-380 nm) UV light that can penetrate through the clouds, windows as well as into the deep layers of the skin causing sunburn, aging, wrinkles and skin cancer. It can also cause clouding of the crystalline lens, leading to cataract.
2)UV-B: UV-B is middle range UV light with wavelength between 280 nm and 315 nm. It can be absorbed by ozone and cause skin redness, inflammation, pain, blister and peeling (similar to burn symptoms). UV-B can also lead to inflammation of the eyes and keratitis.
3)Infrared (IR): The wavelength of infrared ray is between 760 nm and 2,000 nm. Overexposure increases the risk of developing cataract and retina and cornea burns. Heat pressure can also be produced with low intensity light source.
Agency in charge: Department of Standards (First Division)
Contact person: Mr. Shih-Wei Ni
Telephone: (02)3343-5110