Let us start with defining what thermography is to the layperson. Thermography has many terms or variations such as thermography cameras, infrared thermography and breast thermography. Simply put, however, thermography is a technique that can record the temperature of an individual or living thing and show the results as an image (known as a Thermogram). It works also to show the changes in temperature of the said object.

In today’s world, there are many uses for thermography cameras. Some are for medical reasons, others are for building inspections or engineering reasons and others are for security reasons. You would be surprised at the varied applications for thermography cameras. The first application that comes to mind is in the diagnosing of breast cancer masses in women. Many women find it very painful to have a mammography done and this procedure is the most common way for women to detect if there is a cancerous mass in their breast tissue. Breast thermography offers an alternative to this diagnostic procedure. Images of the breast will be taken using the thermography camera. The differences in the temperature will be seen in the images on the computer taken from the breasts without being invasive or painful for the woman. They can detect if there is a mass from these images. This showcases the usefulness of thermography in the medical field.

The second application is in building inspections or engineering reasons. This means that many services can benefit from this. Firefighters can use this technology to see through smoke to detect if there are bodies requiring rescue without risking their lives unnecessarily to enter empty floors or buildings. Engineers or maintenance service crews can use this to find out if power lines or buildings have leaks or are overheating. They can find and pinpoint the problem areas and work to fix it immediately. This saves all of us time and minimizes risk.

Finally, the third application for thermography cameras is for security, most importantly, as a deterrent for health risks. In the airports and schools, they are using the technology to screen for people with high fevers in a fast and efficient manner without having to ask the personnel to get close to the infected people. This was a really useful tool in the SARS epidemic in years past but has had a reemergence with the swine flu pandemic that the world is undergoing. The camera screens the people from a vantage point without the need for a physical presence by the airport security. They monitor the images shown on the screen. This minimizes contact and is done in a matter of seconds. These are only some of the uses of thermography. It is an important innovation in today’s world, especially for the uses involving breast thermography.

by Mary Anne Laygo

References"

1. “Thermography.” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermography (25 June 2009).

2. “Thermography.” Answers.com http://www.answers.com/topic/thermography (25 June 2009).