Original Source: https://uberant.com/article/900528-5-safety-guidelines-to-maintain-around-your-portable-fume-hoods/
Fumes hoods are ventilation devices that are used in chemical laboratories to safely release chemical fumes, harmful gases, vapors, dust particles, aerosols, and other contaminants. The fume hoods give the lab workers protection against chemical spills, accidental fires, exposure to harmful chemical fumes, and so on. Portable fume hoods are recent inventions in the world of laboratory equipment but it has become immensely popular these days.
Conventional fume hoods take ample space in the laboratory and hence might not be suitable for small labs and for the labs which want to use their space efficiently. The portable or ductless fume hoods generally use a highly advanced activated carbon filter to filter out these hazardous fumes and make the air pure to breathe by reverting it to the working environment. Now, there are certain benefits of using a portable fume hood compared to a traditional ducted fume hood. So, we will talk about these advantages first to know more about the portable fume hoods.
● The main advantage of using a ductless portable fume hood lies in the flexibility of using it. Laboratories that are located in the center or bottom of the building might not have a ventilating option. Portable fume hoods come very handily in these cases.
● You need to spend a lot of money to install a ducting fume hood. In case of a portable one that installation money is not required. Although ductless fume hoods also have some limitations in terms of changing the carbon filters regularly to keep your lab safe these filters require moderate maintenance. Hence, this is a feasible option.
● In portable fume hoods, an expensive and external blower system is not required which is essential for a ducted fume hood in sucking the air up. Also, if you are using these portable fume hoods in schools or small scale laboratories then they can be easily relocated to meet your needs. Hence, having one or two fume hoods can be enough for the complete school or college as these are not required all the time.
Now that you know the basic advantages of using portable fume hoods over the ducted fume hoods, read the rest part of this article to learn about the safety guidelines regarding it.
1. Can it be used in every situation?
No. Although ductless fume hoods have certain advantages over normal fume hoods they should not be used in those circumstances where acid emitting related works are done. Also, they should not be used in those labs where various corrosive chemicals are used as these chemicals might degrade the carbon filters. They should not be used in those cases, where there is a chance of an exothermic or endothermic reaction after the mixing of two compounds. The excessive heat will damage the carbon filters associated with it.
2. Which components should you refrain from taking inside the fume hood?
Components or products which have certain viral or bacterial emissions cannot be used inside the portable fume hood. Also, high concentration acid emissions or processes with very high levels of chemical emissions. Both of these components interfere with the lifespan of the carbon filter. Bacterial components might get attached to the filter and create problems regarding the proper functioning of it.
3. Can portable fume hoods be a potential fire hazard?
Yes. That is why you should take extreme precautions before and while working inside a portable fume hood. Ignition sources such as electrical wirings or controllers should be kept away from fume hoods to maximize safety. Also, no open flame should be put near the hood as long as there is any activity going on which includes some kind of volatile or flammable compounds.
4. What can be the best possible location of the fume hood?
The location of the fume hood in the laboratory should be such a place where not a lot of people go or the place which is not a high traffic area. You should not keep the hood in the corridor or in any commonplace which is meant for movement. Another important factor is, the fume hood should be located in such a place from where the user can escape as soon as possible in case of a potential fire alarm. There should be an emergency exit near the location of the fume hood.
5. Personal Protective Equipment and Fume Hoods
Usage and storage of personal Protective Equipment such as first aid kits, fire extinguishers, and fireproof blankets should be available near to the fume hood. Also, there should be some arrangements of drench showers, eyewash stations close to the fume hood. A complete instruction manual stating the detailed using technique should be pasted near the fume hood or on it, if it is used in several places at different time points.
Are you prepared to work inside a fume hood after reading this article?
We hope that you have read the article stating all the safety measures that you should take while working inside a portable fume hood.
Never forget to maintain a clean zone around the hood whenever you are working and always make sure to use personal protective gear for added safety.
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 Laboratory Fume Hoods at Cleatech.com.