Fume Hood Use

What Is A Fume Hood Used For?

The term fume hood used in laboratory nomenclature, is a piece of equipment, a device that contains air (air that usually contains harmful fumes) from spreading outside the device.  Fume hood use varies widely depending on the type of procedures being performed in the space, the safety needs of the users, the protection needs of the experiments and specimens in the hood, the physical size of the experiments and the type of fumes to be contained.  Fume hood is only one of many terms for such containment devices.  Other common terms, some with similar functions to fume hoods, others with widely disparate functions, include: exhaust hoods, canopy hoods, snorkel hoods, fume cupboards, ductless hoods, laminar flow hoods, glove boxes, bio-safety cabinets, explosion hoods, radioisotope hoods, and others.

As you can see, fume hood use varies widely.  It is critical that anyone considering fume hood use contact a fume hood expert company to review your objectives, application and process, safety and compliance, and coordination with building plumbing, heating and electrical.

Shown above are a few examples of the infinite applications for fume hoods.

Left:  Science lab in a college or university.  Row of fume hoods with sliding glass doors, under counter storage, sinks, gas services and electrical.
Center:  Snorkel hoods used in chemistry research space.  Flexible, moveable ducts that allow users to position an exhaust duct over the small experiment conducted at the workstation.  Note the mobile tables below the snorkels allow users to set up the lab space to maximize efficiency.
Right:  Floor mounted fume hoods in an industrial research laboratory allows users to contain large experiments inside the hood and/or wheel mobile carts, tables or equipment into the fume hood.

In order for fume hoods to contain and exhaust fumes they must be connected to an exhaust system of ductwork and fan blowers or have a self contained filtration system to contain, clean and exhaust air.  Exhaust systems can be dedicated to the fume hood or integrated with the entire building heating and cooling mechanical system.  Proper operation and safety of an exhaust fume hood is completely reliant upon the proper design and function of the exhaust system.  Fume hoods provide the box to contain the fumes along with accessories like sinks, electrical, gas services, doors, equipment apparatus, monitor alarms to make them functional for lab research.

Fume Hood Use:

Education:  Fume Hoods are used by elementary and secondary schools to control harmful fumes and smells that are generated during science experiments.

University Research:  Fume hoods are used in classroom science labs for science experiment education, they are used for graduate and post-graduate research in medical and industrial curricula, and they are used in medical schools and university hospitals and clinics to perform lab tests on patient specimens.

Medical:  Fume hoods are used in core laboratories, histology labs, pathology lab for research and patient support.  Tissue and blood testing, for example, require the use of instruments and chemicals that expel harmful fumes that are contained by fume hoods.  In some cases, biological agents that are extremely toxic or viral are contained by specially designed bio-safety cabinets that capture and filter the biological agents rather than exhaust them into the atmosphere.

Industrial:  Manufacturing and engineering firms conduct research and development in their laboratories.  Chemical and  heat resistance testing is performed in fume hoods to prevent fumes from injuring researchers.  Trace metal analysis and quality assurance testing are common fume hood uses.  Sensitive instruments are most accurate when operated inside a fume hood.  Laminar flow hoods are designed to protect the products or specimens being tested inside the hood from external contaminants.

Government: The FBI, CIA, DEA,BCA, Commerce, Energy and other agencies conduct research in government operated laboratories on green energy, drug enforcement, food safety, crime investigations, to name a few.

Since 1949, we have specialized in helping clients design, install and maintain their fume hoods.  Understanding your goals and processes is where we like to start.  Work flow, applications, energy savings, safety, return on investment, maintenance and ergonomics are criteria we address to help you succeed.  Contact one of our fume hood use experts for assistance.

Please contact us for more information.