With the beginning of the so-called "new normality", caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to continue taking preventive measures to control the spread of the virus. One of them, and one that has caused a lot of controversies, is the use of infrared thermometers to measure body temperature before entering public places such as supermarkets, and shopping malls, among other crowded closed spaces. 

As a consequence of the use of these devices, a certain fear has been generated among the population derived from the dissemination of false news that assures that these thermometers can cause damage to health if the measurement is made directly on the forehead or temple because, supposedly, they emit radiation that destroys neurons. This belief is completely false because infrared thermometers do not emit anything. To clarify, here the subject is approached in a simple and straightforward way.

An infrared thermometer, also known as a pyrometer, is an instrument that is capable of measuring the temperature of an object without touching it, by measuring the heat in the form of radiation emitted by the object. Every object emits heat in the form of radiation called infrared. In fact, it is an energy that cannot be seen, but can be felt. Place your hand next to a hot pot and you will feel the infrared radiation. The thermometer configuration converts this radiation into an electrical signal that adjusts to certain internal calibration values ​​of the thermometer itself, to finally display a temperature value on the digital screen.

There is a wide variety of infrared thermometers on the market, with which the thermometer is pointed at a small area of ​​your body, and the heat emitted by that area of ​​your body enters the thermometer through a lens and immediately tells you your temperature. Some thermometers, to facilitate the measurement, have a light or lamp that illuminates the area where you are going to measure, in the same way that the telescopic sight of a rifle has a laser to know where you are pointing, but it does not affect you at all. This is why some infrared thermometers have a light.

Digital infrared thermometers are completely safe and useful for both children and adults. I have a Metene thermometer that I use frequently to check the fevers of my children and myself. You can use it as well because the thermometer delivers precise readings and is simple to use. This thermometer I'm using stores your reading data and also delivers a fever warning. If you have children, use it.