Lick'em and Stick'em Testing
Chip Albright |
It's common to hear laboratories affirming their commitment to testing fume hoods, typically by measuring average face velocity and maybe conducting simple smoke tests. While these practices are widespread, they fall significantly short of ensuring the safety and effective performance of a laboratory fume hood.
As an Exposure Control Device (ECD), a fume hood's primary role is to safeguard users against chemical exposures. It's crucial to understand that effective containment is the true measure of a hood's performance, not merely the rate at which air enters through the sash opening. Unfortunately, a direct correlation between face velocity and containment efficiency does not exist, which means reliance on face velocity as a safety indicator is misguided.
The most reliable method to assess a fume hood's safety is through dynamic containment testing. This approach not only evaluates the hood's ability to perform under your specific laboratory conditions but also addresses the fact that room conditions contribute to half of the instances of fume hood underperformance.
Referring to the practice of testing only face velocity and prematurely deeming a fume hood safe is often referred to as "Lick'em Stick'em" testing. Such minimal testing overlooks critical safety considerations, leaving users with a false sense of security.
For those looking to deepen their understanding of fume hoods and laboratory ventilation, we offer a comprehensive, freely accessible online course titled "Laboratory Fume Hoods Explained." This course, derived from my extensive research and publication, provides insights into the crucial differences between face velocity and containment, allowing you to learn at your convenience.
fumehoodonlinecourse.com - Click here to register for the free course and start enhancing your knowledge today.
If your current testing procedures do not include dynamic containment testing, it's time to reconsider your approach. Join our mission to elevate laboratory safety, one fume hood at a time. Are you prepared to contribute to making a difference?
Let’s embark on this vital journey together, to make labs safer one fume hood at a time.