CHEMICAL FUME HOOD TESTING
Chemical Fume Hoods provide users with the ability to safely work with substances that, otherwise, may prove harmful or even fatal. Some of the greatest advances in the laboratory would not have been possible without them. Each hood must be in proper working order to ensure long healthy lives for everyone entering the laboratory environment.
Chemical Fume Hoods provide users with the ability to safely work with substances that, otherwise, may prove harmful or even fatal. Some of the greatest advances in the laboratory would not have been possible without them. Each hood must be in proper working order to ensure long healthy lives for everyone entering the laboratory environment.
How can we be certain that our hood is providing proper containment?
The best way to know that an individual hood is doing its’ job is the have it evaluated using the ASHRAE 110-1995 Method. This is a quantitative test utilizing tracer gas to measure a hoods containment ability in parts per million (ppm). The 2003 update to “The American National Standard for Laboratory Ventilation” mandated this test procedure for all new and remodeled fume hoods (ANSI/AIHA Z9.5-2003).
This procedure was mandated based upon empirical evidence showing a large percentage (17%) of hoods passing the face velocity test but failing the tracer gas portion (ANSI AIHA Z9.5 pg. 16). We recommend every hood be baseline tested and, where applicable, corrections made until the hood meets acceptable performance levels. In subsequent years a less rigorous procedure (i.e. LTMW 0112 SOP) can be employed to demonstrate that, all factors being equal, the hood is providing the same level of protection.