Fume hoods are one of the most misunderstood and misused pieces of safety equipment in the lab. Even people who’ve been using hoods for decades may not be able to tell if it is performing safely.
For years the focus was on the face velocity of a hood, and not on containment. And that can be a huge mistake!
That’s because hoods with an acceptable face velocity can still suffer loss of containment. These fugitive chemicals not only pollute the lab air, they create a potential safety risk from exposure. These fugitive chemicals not only present a health risk, they also can damage lab infrastructure and contaminate work being performed.
A laboratory fume hood is an exposure control device designed to protect users from hazardous chemical exposure. But since there is no direct relationship between face velocity and containment, how can you know that a fume hood is safely containing?
You can’t!
For actionable information, you need to do dynamic containment testing such as Tri-Color Airflow visualization.
Check out the Tri-Color challenges.
Seeing is believing. Once you see the airflow in and around your hood, you will better understand how your actions impact performance. Seeing the loss of containment, you can take actions to minimize it.
Got questions about fume hood safety and performance? We can help. Just click on the link below to submit your questions.
https://www.fumehoodcertified.com/contact-the-experts
As a bonus, we want to send you “The Myth of Face Velocity Reloaded,” a deep dive into Face Velocity and its role in containment. Get your free copy by clicking on the link below.
The Myth of Face Velocity Reloaded
Help us make labs safer one fume hood at a time.
