Safety and use of infrared thermometers
UNDOUBTEDLY, OUR world as we know it has changed, and continues to change, since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. As the crisis unfolds, an increasing number of us have become desensitised to having a gun-shaped thermometer directed at our bodies.
Part of the new normal in the COVID-19 pandemic is the widespread use of infrared thermometers to check the temperature of people before they enter business places. Thermal screening is part of the front-line defence to prevent access to those with an elevated temperature to offices and other places of business.
The thermometer is primarily pointed at one’s forehead; however, in recent weeks, it appears that there has been a shift from pointing the infrared thermometer to one’s forehead to one’s wrist.
Perhaps a more accurate check occurs at the wrist or elbow? Many of us willingly submit to the infrared thermometers pointing to our forehead. We comply with the health protocol in good faith and for the better good of the society. However, are there any health concerns we should be aware of by having our temperature checked in this manner, as opposed to having it checked on our wrist?
HISTORY OF INFRARED TECHNOLOGY
The name infrared is coming from the Latin word infra, which means ‘below’.
Sir William Herschel, an astronomer, is credited with the discovery of infrared in the early 19th century. Herschel was familiar with Newton’s discovery that sunlight could be separated into its – chromatic components via refraction through a glass prism. Herschel hypothesised that the colours themselves might contain different levels of heat, so he devised an experiment to test his theory.
THE PINEAL GLAND
Once referred to as the ‘third eye’, the pineal gland is a small organ located deep in the centre of the brain. Troubling, the pineal gland is located in the general area where the infrared thermometer is directed when conducting the thermal screenings. The pineal gland is named for its pine cone shape; this gland secretes melatonin, which plays a role in the body’s internal clock. According to website Medical News Today, the pineal gland is key to the body’s internal clock because it regulates the body’s circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are the daily rhythms of the body, including signals that make someone feels tired, sleep, wake up, and alert around the same time each day.
Melatonin is produced according to the amount of light a person is exposed to. The pineal gland releases greater amounts of melatonin when it is dark, which points to melatonin’s role in sleep. The pineal gland has been linked to a range of other functions. These include mental health. Sleep and mental health are inextricably linked.
Sleep deprivation can cause or worsen some mental health conditions. Some mental health disorders may also make it more difficult to sleep. Some mental health conditions have been linked to access to light. For example, seasonal affective disorder is a form of depression that affects a person’s mood and tends to occur when light levels are low. This may be due to changes in melatonin secretion.
Are there, or should there be, any health concerns if one has, for example, four or more thermal screenings in a 24-hour period?
POLICY DIRECTIVE NEEDED
Recently, a lot of information has been circulating on various social media platforms suggesting that there are harmful effects of thermal thermometers once they are directed to one’s forehead. We need to hear from the Ministry of Health and Wellness regarding how safe are thermal screenings directed at the forehead. We need to have a wider discussion as it relates to who should conduct these temperature checks. Where is the Bureau of Standards Jamaica is all this?
Is this method of temperature check safe for children? At what age should thermal screening begin? With the 20202021 academic year a few weeks away, is there a policy directive regarding whether students – for example, at the earlychildhood level – should be subjected to temperature checks on the forehead as against the elbow or wrist? What if a parent or teacher refuses from having his/ her temperature checked at the forehead? What is the stance of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information on this matter? It is better to be safe than sorry, especially in a time such as this.
Many Jamaicans are searching for answers, and rightly so. It is imperative that those with the scientific information necessary to assuage our troubled minds make public such data. It is only through a collective and concerted effort that the Jamaican society will be able to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus. The citizenry has a great role to play in adhering to government protocols regarding the control of COVID-19 and, as such, accurate information sharing is vital as the society moves ahead.