How thermal-imaging cameras can spot flu fevers

NEW YORK — To screen passengers for swine flu and other contagious diseases, some airports use thermal imaging cameras to see whether travelers have fevers, without having to stick thermometers in their mouths. So how do the cameras work?

The devices are just like regular cameras, except that instead of recording light that objects reflect, these cameras are sensitive to heat. They can even work in the dark.

Recordings from these cameras show up on video screens with hotter objects looking brighter. The systems are very sensitive, measuring temperatures down to a fraction of a degree Fahrenheit, said Andrew Sarangan, an associate professor in the University of Dayton's electro-optics program.

Thermal cameras were rolled out during the SARS outbreak in 2002 and 2003, and airports in Singapore and China have been using them continuously since, said Alan Thomson, regional sales director at U.K.-based Irisys, a maker of thermal imaging devices.

Now manufacturers say they've noticed an uptick in orders in recent days. "The phone hasn't stopped ringing," Thomson said.

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In Mexico, which already has 10 such cameras, the transportation secretary, Juan Molinar, said Thursday that 40 more were being bought for the country's eight largest airports.

Of course, while the cameras can detect higher temperatures, they can't screen for swine flu itself. Someone running to catch a flight can have a higher body temperature, as can someone who's just had a drink. A fever also does not necessarily mean someone is sick with swine flu, so airports need to do further screening once they spot passengers with high temperatures.

Irisys' cameras, which cost about $3,000, merge visual and thermal images to create a "heat picture" of a person. This image shows up on a screen on the back of the camera, much like the displays on consumer cameras. A pointer automatically shows the hottest area in the picture, which is usually a person's face, mainly because it's not covered in clothes.

Tony Trunzo, senior vice president at Wilsonville, Ore.-based Flir Systems Inc., said his company has seen orders pick up not only from airports, but factory operators as well.

Flir's cameras have improved significantly since the SARS outbreak, Trunzo said. The cameras have a higher resolution, for example. They've gotten cheaper, too, though the company's cameras still range between $10,000 and $15,000.

Flir also has determined that it's best to screen one person at a time, instead of scanning a large crowd.

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Associated Press Writer Morgan Lee in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Global recession could worsen global warming

Hopes that humankind will deal with Earth's changing climate are in danger of being dashed by the ongoing " Great Recession."

Under the onslaught of the financial crisis, some European nations have turned skittish on forcing limits in heat-trapping "greenhouse" gas emissions. And stateside, House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, has complained that "middle-class families are struggling during this recession," in objecting to similar plans to cap emissions.

But the financial meltdown may make the case for addressing global warming stronger, says Eugene Linden, author of Winds of Change: Climate, Weather, and the Destruction of Civilizations. A former Time magazine science writer, Linden alternates authoring with a part-time job at a hedge fund, making him the rare environmental writer on Wall Street. He spoke in April at a University of Illinois conference called "Planet U." on "What the Financial Crisis has to teach us about Climate Change."

"Climate has been our long and moody companion," Linden says. "When it's nice, it's nice. When it's not, it's a serial killer." Anyone worried about pink slips these days could be forgiven for feeling the same way about the economy, he says.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has projected a roughly 7-degree Fahrenheit rise in average global atmospheric temperatures by 2100 under "business as usual" rates of greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases, notably the carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil, are transparent to sunlight, but trap heat in the atmosphere.

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"The continuing global economic crisis has once again shoved the climate crisis to the back burner," Linden notes. But "it provides a useful analogy that helps us understand the paralysis on climate change. It also provides a useful analogue to how things might play out."

Among the similarities, he sees:

•In the financial crisis, toxic assets on bank books — bum loans — were released into the financial system. In climate, greenhouse gases are piling up, raising the risks of abrupt climate change.

•Prior to the financial crisis, "decisions were made that made the crisis worse — regulations dropped." In climate, regulations have been avoided for two decades after they were first suggested in Congress.

•Prior to the financial crisis, belief in the efficiency of the financial market was touted as a security blanket, Linden says. "Alarmists" such as economist Nassim Nicholas Taleb who predicted that a " black swan" event would hit the economy, were ignored. In the climate arena, he notes, scientists such as James Hansen of NASA's Goddard Institute are now seen as similarly controversial.

In historical terms, Lindens suggests we are "incredibly leveraged" for an accommodating climate, similar to the reliance that financiers put on steady return from a system they knew couldn't last forever.

"I think the experience shows us we can't rely on the government on climate," Linden says. Consumers making more environmentally-friendly decisions, ironically easier when you have less money in your pocket to spend, will likely make the biggest difference, he thinks.

Linden faced a few friendly questions from the audience after the talk. What do USA TODAY readers make of his argument?

Traffic set to slow as stimulus gears up

WASHINGTON — Caution ahead: stimulus slowdowns.

Drivers across the country will have to contend with far more roadwork — and all the frustration that goes with it — as states prepare to launch a spate of new highway projects this summer. The work is part of President Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus package and is meant to create jobs by repairing roads and bridges.

"People will see more construction. There's no question about it," says Brian Blanchard, the chief engineer for Florida's Department of Transportation. That work will begin at the same time more cars will likely be vying to squeeze onto the roads, because gas prices are expected to be lower this summer than they were last year, AAA spokesman Troy Green says.

All told, the stimulus will give states an extra $27 billion to repair roads and bridges, on top of roughly $42 billion in annual aid. Much of that will be spent during this summer's construction season, and at least $200 million worth of work has already started, says John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Exactly where all those bottlenecks will be or how long they'll last isn't clear because states haven't yet decided on all their stimulus projects. But transportation officials say the huge influx of federal money inevitably will mean more work zones across the country:

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• In Florida, the stimulus will mean another $1.3 billion worth of roadwork over the next two years, about 25% more than normal, Blanchard says. Much of it will go to small improvements the state put off in recent years because it didn't have enough money, including rebuilding a busy interchange on Miami's Dolphin Expressway, he says.

• Pennsylvania expects a "record building program" this summer, state transportation spokesman Rich Kirkpatrick says. Around Philadelphia, the volume of roadwork will be almost double what drivers have seen in recent years, including work on a bridge that carries I-95 near downtown. "We know there are going to be some challenges. We understand it's frustrating," he says.

• New York will increase spending by more than 60% this year, focusing on smaller road and bridge projects, says Tim Gilchrist, an adviser to Gov. David Paterson. "There will be an impact on the public, but it's creating jobs," Gilchrist says.

In other states, the extra money will make up for what could have been dramatic cutbacks. Missouri officials expected their construction spending to drop by nearly half over the next two years, but "the stimulus bought us another 12 to 18 months," says Transportation Director Pete Rahn.

States will try to minimize disruptions by requiring that work be done at night and not clumping projects too close together. "We know it's frustrating. We're drivers, too," says Texas Department of Transportation spokesman Chris Lippincott.

For Obama, the legal legacy begins with Souter replacement

WASHINGTON — As President Obama considers how to make the most of a rare opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court justice, he is getting advice from many fronts — including Senate Judiciary Committee leaders and law professors, women's advocates and Hispanic groups. On Sunday, Pennsylvania's just-turned-Democratic senator, Arlen Specter, weighed in as well.

And why not? Supreme Court justices are appointed for life, and they may help determine the law long after a president leaves office. So even as Obama wrestles with economic and foreign policy challenges that could lead to major changes in America, a court appointment could become one of the most significant acts of his tenure.

DAVID SOUTER: Timeline

SUPREME COURT QUIZ: Test your knowledge

The appointee who would succeed liberal Justice David Souter is unlikely to shift the ideological balance of the court, but she or he could help set a new tone or bring a different type of leadership to the divided bench.

As Obama and his aides screen candidates to make the first Democratic nomination in 15 years, well-established — and often overlapping — judicial models can guide his choices and shape public expectations.