Check facts Liputan6.com tracing claims about laser radiation firing thermometers or thermo guns harmful to the human body. Search was carried out by contacting Internal Medicine Specialists, Dr. Ari Fahrial Syam SpPD-KGEH.
Ari’s doctor said, infrared thermometer which is commonly used to check body temperature is safe to use. The thermometer, he said, had passed the health test.
“The product has passed the health test, so it has been calculated that the device is safe,” Dr. Ari told Liputan6.com, Monday (7/20/2020).
Ari’s doctor added that the use of an infrared thermometer also had no impact on the human nervous system and retina.
“Infrared thermometers do not emit radiation such as X-rays and therefore do not affect the nervous system as well as do not damage the retina,” said the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia (UI).
Liputan6.com also found an article describing two types of infrared thermometers, some of which are used for industry and clinics. Was the article entitled “Don’t Be Wrong, This Is The Difference Of Thermometers For Industry And Clinic“which the site loads on kumparan.com on March 7, 2020.
Not only did the masks have a high price, but the thermometer also began to skyrocket. Since the corona virus became epidemic in China, then spread to almost the entire world, including Indonesia, the price of masks has increased significantly.
Now, the thermometer has also been chased by the public and the price has begun to rise. On Shopee’s online shopping site, for example, infrared thermometers are priced starting at Rp 150 thousand to Rp 400 thousand, depending on the type of thermometer.
People began to hunt for infrared thermometers to measure body temperature. This is because one of the symptoms of COVID-19 is fever, or body temperature above 38 degrees Celsius.
However, not all thermometers sold on online shopping sites can be used to measure body temperature. Because there is also an infrared thermometer that is used for industrial needs.
The difference between industrial and clinical thermometers
Infrared thermometer is a device for measuring temperature without touching an object or an object to be measured in temperature. This type of thermometer is made using infrared energy technology that is able to detect temperatures optically as long as the object is observed. The radiant energy of an infrared ray emitted by an object will be measured and presented as temperature.
Simply stated, a thermometer is divided into two, namely an industrial thermometer and a clinical thermometer.
Industrial thermometers are usually used to measure the temperature of objects or manufacturing equipment, such as hot water, machinery, air conditioning or air conditioning, swimming pools, transformers, and others. The aim is to monitor the temperature of the liquid material in order to maintain quality in the manufacturing process.
While the clinical thermometer is used for medical purposes, one of which measures the body temperature of living things or patients who are undergoing treatment. Although the principle of measuring temperature is the same, there are significant differences, especially in the range of the thermometer and its level of accuracy.
“The principle works the same. Only if the industry’s thermometer is low because it is used to measure a larger range or temperature range, “said Prayudi Rizki, Brand Manager at DNR Corporation, a medical equipment provider, when contacted by the NSAID coil, Saturday (7/3).
He explained, the accuracy of the industrial thermometer was around 1.5 degrees Celsius. While the accuracy of the clinical thermometer has a higher level, up to 0.2 degrees Celsius.
In addition, the temperature range between industrial and clinical thermometers is also different. If the clinical thermometer can read temperatures between 32 to 42 degrees Celsius, the industrial thermometer reads temperatures ranging from -50 degrees Celsius to 380 degrees Celsius.
This is what makes industrial thermometers inaccurate, if used to measure body temperature when the corona virus is spreading. Therefore, clinical thermometers have a smaller range, where this can better guarantee the level of accuracy.
“The clinical thermometer is the range of measurement to measure body temperature around 32-42.5 degrees Celsius, because the normal adult temperature is 36.1 – 37.2 degrees Celsius. If you use a low accuracy (industrial thermometer) later wrong, healthy people are thought to have a fever, “he said.
How do you distinguish between clinical and industrial thermometers?
According to Prayudi, the most important thing is to be careful in buying. Because, every thermometer pack usually includes a description. Consumers can read the description first before buying a thermometer product.
Industrial thermometers usually have a higher temperature measurement range than clinical thermometers. The packaging also includes the accuracy of the thermometer. Likewise with the measurement distance that can be reached by the thermometer.
“Consumers must be careful because it can be seen from the packaging, user manuals, and specifications data or measurement range,” said Prayudi.
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