Black polymer solar filter safety

[astro744]

I raised the issue with the Baader AstroSolar 5.0 for unaided visual use to warn people against making their own solar glasses out of any film they may have, (unless they have the silver/gold film it seems).

In looking at various links on the subject I came across the following site talking about black polymer film type solar glasses. Have a look at the fine print on the inside of the glasses.

https://www.eclipseglasses.com/pages/safety

The user instructions say discard after 3 years.

I have 5 pairs I bought in 2012 for the Venus transit that are actually labelled 2002 Ceduna eclipse. No scratches and look brand new but should I now throw them out?

Mine are Rainbow Symphony brand bought through an Australian dealer with compliance with two Australian standards but obviously no mention of the latest 2015 standard. Perhaps these filters need Use By dates on them.

[doppler (Rick)]

That is an interesting question. I have googled and can't find anything about use by dates or life spans for any of the solar filters. All they say is not to use damaged filters which is of course stating the obvious. I would think that they would have a much longer life span than 3 years, one supplier I found gave a 5 year guarantee.