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The lab fume hood is a vital part of modern labs all over the world. The fume hoods are essential in meeting mandatory safety requirements and can protect lab owners from different types of toxic fumes and particulate matter. If the lab worker inhales any form of harmful fume then the toxic elements can enter the bloodstream and it may also get embedded in their lungs. These will inevitably lead to diseases. The lab fume hood can lower such exposure as they remove toxic particles from the air.
There are powerful fans installed in the lab fume hood and these can divert the airflow in the chamber. There are filters that can also release the air outside of the room. The portable fume hoods filter the bad air and then release the clean air inside the room. Being small in size, they can be placed anywhere in the working area.
When should you use a lab fume hood?
You will need to use the lab fume hood when you do experiments that involve material that is toxic, odorous, dusty, flammable,, and carcinogenic in nature. This shall also include some of the chemicals mentioned below:
Acute toxic air – even a mild or short-term exposure to such air will cause a lot of organ damages and can even result in fatality.
Reproductive toxins presence– These forms of toxins will cause massive damage to chromosomes and can harm fetuses.
Flammable material– health rating with 3 or 4 of National Fire Protection Association can cause respiratory illness.
Carcinogenic – may cause cancer in the future. These elements are listed and regulated by the National Toxicology Program or International Research on Cancer
Odorous elements – These can be hazardous or nonhazardous.
Light dust elements – This is common when working with any form of hazardous materials and can creating irritating dust.
What should you consider before getting a fume hood?
You need to think of the types of experiments that you carry out before you use the lab fume hoods. You need to think of the different processes involved and the types of gases that can be released. You should also consider the complexity and how the experiments may get contaminated. The number of your lab worker working on the experiment is also important.
Do not use a fume hood in your lab if you use sensitive biological agents. When you have work with biological agents then you will have different types of low-risk pathogens in your cleanroom and the fume hood can easily cause cross-contamination. So, you can consider separating the areas where you conduct biological experiments and where you conduct chemical experiments. Keep the fume hoods in the area where you do your chemical experiments.
You need to use the lab fume hood correctly and properly maintain it. These fume hoods have to be regularly maintained because they remove several types of toxic contaminants from the lab environment. Some of these toxic elements are as follows:
Arsine (C18H14AsCl)-0.05 ppm-0.2 mg/m3 – This can cause confusion, drowsiness, fatigue, headache, muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, and/or abdominal pain, rapid breathing, red or dark urine, shortness of breath, weakness, jaundice.
Chlorine (Cl2)-1 ppm-3 mg/m3- Toxic by inhalation, Bronchitis, or chronic lung conditions
Fluorine (F2)-0.1 ppm-0.2 mg/m3 – This is a Poisonous gas; may be fatal if inhaled. Vapor extremely irritating. Contact may cause burns to the skin and eyes.
Hydrogen Selenide (H2Se)-0.05 ppm-0.2 mg/m3- This is absolutely fatal, extremely dangerous to live.
Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)-20 ppm- This can cause death, various permanent injuries, it will affect your nervous system and cause paralysis in the respiratory centers.
A portable fume hood is vital in our present-day labs because these are efficient and effective in ensuring safety. You can buy a portable fume hood from both online and offline suppliers. If you buy from an online supplier then you will get more discounts and better deals. However, also remember to check the credentials of your supplier before making any purchase.
Conclusion
It is important to use fume hoods in laboratories because these can provide safety and security to the people who work in them. You must get portable fume hoods for your lab because these are smaller, more efficient, consume less power, and are easier to clean. You can buy such portable fume hoods from both online and offline suppliers. Hopefully, this article will have highlighted to you why portable fume hoods are best for your lab.
Author Bio
Cleatech LLC, the leading company manufactures laboratory and cleanroom equipment. Buy the top-quality Portable Fume Hoods and other laboratory equipment such as Lab Shelves at Cleatech.com.
