Goria Shiva, a Facebook user, published a post in a group called “კორონა მაფია” (Corona mafia) on September 2, protesting the planned school regulations in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic and called on parents to refuse the thermal imaging of their children. Another member, Madlena Barabadze, published a second post on June 2, claiming that the laser radiation of the non-contact thermometers was hazardous.
The claim that the thermal imaging emits radiation and is harmful for health, is false. 1. The non-contact measures the infra-red radiation of the body to find out its temperature, it does not emit radiation. 2. Some thermometers use a laser ray to facilitate aiming for the sensor, but it does not involve infra-red radiation and is not harmful for humans.
1. The non-contact measures the infra-red radiation of the body to find out its temperature, it does not emit radiation.
The non-contact thermometers measure the infra-red radiation of the body and converts it to degrees, which are then shown on its display. The mechanism of such thermometers includes taking in and identifying the infra-red radiation and does not emit any kind of radiation itself.
It is noteworthy that any object, living or not, has infra-red rays. They are electromagnetic rays, invisible to the eye.
How does the non-contact thermometer work?
Main components of the non-contact thermometer are the lens, the detector, and the screen. The lens directs the radiation of the body to the detector, while the sensor converts the infra-red energy to an electronic impulse, which is then shown on the display in degrees.
2. Some thermometers use a laser ray to facilitate aiming for the sensor, but it does not involve infra-red radiation and is not harmful for humans.
Some non-contact thermometers point to the human body with a laser ray. However, this does not contain any infra-red radiation. The laser is an artificially shortened rays of light. The thermometer uses it in limited amounts and it is not harmful for the health.
The non-contact thermometer uses the laser ray to facilitate aiming for the sensor, so that the latter can recognize the surface of the object which is to be measured.
Source: omega.co.uk
The disinformation that the non-contact thermometer is harmful for the health, is being actively disseminated in various countries against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fact-checking organizations, such as Poynter and Associated Press have verified this information. Different versions of the fake news about the non-contact thermometers have been disseminated. Claims from different periods and countries held that thermal imaging damages eyesight, nervous system, and epiphysis of the brain.
