The COVID-19 Task Force Denies Thermal Gun Damaging The Brain

A waiter uses a Thermal gun to check the temperature (Diah Ayu Wardani / VOI)

JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19 Achmad Yurianto (Yuri), denied the notion that checking body temperature using a thermometer (thermal gun) can damage the brain.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, thermal guns are widely used to measure the body temperature of people who will enter a place, such as workplaces, shops, restaurants, public recreation. People with high body temperature are encouraged to self-isolate at home.

"Recently we have heard about the opinion that the thermal gun can damage the brain. Scientifically, various experts have said that this statement is not true," said Yuri at Graha BNPB, East Jakarta, Monday, July 20.

Yuri explained that the thermal gun only measures temperature by emitting infrared radiation. The beam is reflected off any object or person and can detect how much temperature the object is pointing at in a very short time.

"Thermal gun does not use laser light, does not use radioactive rays such as X-rays, only infrared," said Yuri.

Yuri said, the assumption that the thermal gun can damage the brain is counterproductive to efforts to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. Yuri asked the public to respond to the news that was circulating wisely, because misleading information would make the public even more panicked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Therefore, don't be easily influenced by the statement that says that a thermal gun contains radioactive rays or laser rays that can damage the structure of our brains. This is not true," he said.

For information, the assumption that the thermal gun can damage the brain begins with a statement by economic observer Ichsanuddin Noorsy in an interview on the Youtube account of Helmy Yahya.

In the broadcast, Noorsy responded to the phenomenon of using a thermal gun in various places. Strictly speaking, he refused if an officer should check the thermal gun on his forehead.

"Frankly, I refuse, if you want to check (temperature), not check my head, check here (shows my hands). We don't know the impact of the damage to the brain structure. I don't want to," said Noorsy.

"Because the thermometer hand gun is to check hot cables. The laser is used to check the hot cable, not the human temperature," he added.