What are the types of thermometers?
Mercury thermometer: Contains mercury column, easy to break, mercury is poisonous, and it is dangerous to handle improperly. It is not recommended to buy.
Digital thermometer: Using the physical parameters of certain substances. Turn on the electronic digital thermometer when in use, hear a beep, and then put the thermometer into the part that needs to be measured, about half a minute, and you can take it out when you hear a beep again.
Infrared thermometer: Infrared thermometer, the measurement time is shorter, and the body temperature can be monitored in a few seconds. There are two types of contact type (ear thermometer) and non-contact type (forehead thermometer).
What are the characteristics of the thermometer?
Measurement time: infrared thermometer < digital thermometer < mercury thermometer
Measurement accuracy: mercury thermometer > digital thermometer > infrared thermometer
Ease of use: infrared thermometer > digital thermometer > mercury thermometer
So what thermometer should we buy?
If it is used by adults, from the perspective of cost performance, it is recommended to buy a digital thermometer], and mercury thermometer is not recommended.
If it is used by a baby, because the baby is more active, the temperature measurement needs to be completed quickly. It is recommended to purchase an infrared thermometer, and it is also not recommended to purchase a mercury thermometer.
Infrared thermometer, should you buy an ear thermometer or a forehead thermometer?
If it is used by adults, it is recommended to buy an ear thermometer, after all, it pays more attention to accuracy.
If it is used by a baby, it is recommended to buy a forehead thermometer, because the ear thermometer needs to insert the head into the ear, and some babies will be very resistant.
1. Mercury thermometer
Mercury thermometers are inexpensive and reproducible. They can measure the temperature of the armpit or mouth, and are suitable for use by people of all ages. The mercury thermometer generally takes about 5 minutes to measure the temperature, which is basically not affected by the use environment and has high reliability. However, the mercury thermometer has a fatal disadvantage, that is, it is prone to mercury pollution when broken.
In 2013, the United Nations Environment Programme adopted the Minamata Convention, which aims to control and reduce mercury emissions globally. In 2016, the twentieth meeting of the Standing Committee of the Twelfth National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China decided to ratify the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which requires that the production, import and export of mercury-containing products be banned from 2020.
Therefore, the production and sale of mercury thermometers may soon be banned.
2. Digital thermometer
Like the mercury thermometer, the digital thermometer is with a contact temperature measurement method, which can measure the temperature of the armpit or mouth, and is suitable for people of all ages. When measuring the temperature, place the probe of the electronic thermometer under the tongue and keep the mouth closed as much as possible. It can achieve the same effect as the mercury thermometer in a few minutes, but the oral temperature measurement is not suitable for infants and young children.
3. Infrared thermometer
Infrared thermometers can be divided into forehead thermometers and ear thermometers. The temperature measurement time is very fast, which can be completed in seconds. The forehead thermometer measures skin temperature. Generally, the measurement site is limited to the forehead, and the operation is very simple. However, skin temperature does not necessarily accurately reflect body temperature. The skin temperature is particularly susceptible to the influence of the ambient temperature, and the accuracy of the measurement will be affected if the ambient temperature is too high or too low. Therefore, the forehead thermometer is generally only suitable for rapid screening of fever, and it is required to be used indoors with a relatively stable ambient temperature, so it is not suitable for accurate measurement.
To sum up, mercury thermometers are likely to be eliminated, and the only mainstream products we can choose are electronic thermometers and infrared thermometers.
