Laboratory Fume Hood Information
Work involving hazardous and noxious materials which are toxic, odoriferous, volatile or harmful should be conducted within a chemical fume hood. The chemical fume hood in your laboratory functions to capture, retain and discharge noxious or hazardous vapors, fumes and dusts generated within it. It is not intended to capture contaminants generated elsewhere in the room.
Laboratory fume hoods and adjacent work areas should be kept clean and free of debris at all times. Solid objects and materials (such as paper) should be kept from entering the exhaust ducts of the hoods. Objects lodged in ducts or fans will adversely affect the systems operation. Also, the hood will have better airflow across the work surface if there are minimal numbers of bottles, beakers and laboratory apparatus inside the hood; therefore, it is prudent to keep unnecessary equipment and glassware outside of the hood at all times and store chemicals in approved storage cans, containers, or cabinets. NOT IN THE HOOD
The following is a list of guidelines for the proper use of your chemical fume hood:
Other things to keep in mind:
- Fume hood alarms should NEVER be tampered with, bypassed, disengaged or turned off.
- No electrical outlets should be located inside the hood.
- Always wear appropriate PPE (gloves, goggles, lab coats, etc.) when working with chemicals.
- Do not use infectious materials in a chemical fume hood.
- Keep the sash glass clean. Never obstruct your view with paper, notices, decals or other items on the sashes.
- Radioactive materials may not be used in the hoods without prior approval of the Radiological Safety Officer.
- Routine maintenance on the fume hood will need to be performed. This may require one or more fume hoods to be shut down. Depending on the type of repair your cooperation will be required in sealing and removing all chemicals to prevent exposure of maintenance workers.
- Perform work in a chemical fume hood whenever feasible.
- Never use perchloric acid in a hood that is not designed for this use. Perchloric acid can leave explosive residues in a fume hood, duct system or on a fan. Perchloric acid also forms explosive mixtures with organic compounds. Perchloric acid hoods have a wash-down feature which should be used after each use of the hood and at least every two weeks when the hood is not in use. The date of each wash down should be recorded by laboratory personnel.
- Hoods should not be used to evaporate toxic or irritating chemicals. Fume hoods are designed to remove small quantities of vapor and gas which might escape during laboratory operations. If vaporization of large quantities of such materials is a necessary part of the operation, a means of collecting the vapor by distillation or scrubbing should be considered, rather than allowing it to escape through the hood vent. The collected liquid can then be disposed of as a liquid waste.