1. Electronic thermometer
Put the electronic thermometer under your arm and you can know your body temperature in a minute or two. Compared with traditional mercury thermometers, electronic thermometers are fast, safe and convenient, and are suitable for use by the elderly and children.
Although electronic thermometers do not contain mercury, safety issues may arise once the electronic components are exposed. Be especially careful if children bite them and the battery liquid is exposed. In addition, as an electronic product, electronic thermometers require frequent battery replacement, and may cause inaccurate measurements after being used for a long time.
2. Ear thermometer
To use an infrared ear thermometer to measure body temperature, you only need to point the probe at the inner auditory canal. The body temperature can be known in a few seconds, which is faster than an electronic thermometer. However, the accuracy of an infrared ear thermometer is not much different from that of a mercury thermometer, because the ear cavity temperature and axillary temperature are closer to the actual body temperature, so the measurements are more reliable.
3. Forehead thermometer
Forehead thermometer is widely used in hospitals, airports, etc. However, this kind of thermometer is susceptible to interference from the external environment and the dirt and sebum layer on the skin surface, and there is a gap between the rated temperature and the actual body temperature, which may cause inaccurate measurements. During operation, inaccurate distance between the thermometer and the forehead will also affect the results.
Extended information:
Due to the toxicity of mercury, the banning and replacement of mercury thermometers has become common sense in human society. In 1992, Sweden banned the sale of all medical devices containing mercury. The United Kingdom, France, Denmark and the Netherlands have also banned use and sales. Since 2000 in the United States, 13 states and cities including San Francisco, Boston and Michigan have banned the sale of mercury thermometers. The European Commission has also banned the sale of mercury thermometers since 2005 and its export since 2011.
In December 2008, the Argentine government also announced that it would ban the production and import of mercury thermometers. The World Health Organization has also established a global mercury elimination plan with the goal of reducing the global demand for mercury-containing thermometers and blood pressure monitors by 70% in 2017.
People's Daily Online - Mercury thermometers are out of the market. What should we use to measure our body temperature