Things to consider when using different types of thermometers.
Now there are three types of household thermometers on sale — mercury, electronic and infrared, reports the Chronicle.info with reference to Domashniy Ochag.
Mercury thermometer
In many countries mercury is already banned for use. It was replaced with an alloy of three metals — gallium, indium and tin. Such thermometers for measuring human body temperature can also be purchased in Ukraine. True, they cost twice as much as mercury ones. But doesn't pose such a danger either.
Many from childhood know how to use it — put it in the armpit, wait five minutes, and that's it. However, in practice, measuring temperature with a mercury thermometer is not so simple. Here's what you need to pay attention to if you want to correctly measure the temperature in the armpit
- The mercury thermometer shows the maximum temperature, so you need to hold it not five, but ten minutes.< /li>
- The armpit should be dry and clean — for best results, it must not be smeared with cream or antiperspirant/deodorant.
- After and before use, the mercury column must be shaken off. Press the tip of the thermometer firmly against the skin. Air is a poor conductor of heat and the readings of the thermometer will be incorrect if it is freely located in the armpit.
It is also worth recalling that more accurate readings can be obtained if the thermometer is used anally or orally. But both methods are more dangerous, especially if you measure the temperature of children, and less comfortable.
Please note that in these two cases, the readings will be not only more accurate, but also higher. When measuring rectal temperature (in the anus), as well as in the mouth, the body thermometer in a healthy person shows 37-37.5 ° C, and in a child up to 38 ° C. Probably, it is not worth talking about that for such measurements it is better that children and adults have separate thermometers. And again, I want to note that glass thermometers are very fragile. Therefore, be extremely careful with them.
Electronic thermometer
Children love this type of thermometer, because at the end of the temperature measurement it makes a sound. He is safe. But it also has features that increase the measurement error.
An electronic thermometer can be wrong even by a whole degree if it is removed immediately after the beep. In fact, after that, for two or three minutes, it continues to calculate the average temperature, which can «jump» in this interval.
An electronic thermometer can also measure the temperature rectally and in the mouth. Before oral use, do not drink hot and cold drinks, eat ice cream and other dishes whose temperature is much higher or lower than room temperature.
Infrared thermometer
Infrared non-contact thermometer gives the largest errors. Especially if you do not wipe the sensor before use. The error occurs due to the fact that the beam has to cover a greater distance than in the cases with electronic and mercury thermometers. It is impossible for the beam to fall into the eyes. But this type of thermometer also has advantages:
- it allows you not to touch a sick (or presumably infected) person;
- the thermometer memory allows you to view the dynamics of temperature changes (different models can remember from 8 up to 50 measurements);
- some models have a sound signal indicating the completion of the measurement;
- certain infrared thermometers have a color indication depending on temperature;
- the sound and backlight can be turned off so as not to disturb, for example, a sleeping child while measuring temperature;
- you can choose a thermometer with automatic off to save battery
In any case, whatever thermometer you buy, we advise you to first check the temperature of all family members several times and write it down. Ideally, when it comes to contact thermometers, it would be better if every person has their own thermometer.