Fume hood can be described as a fume cupboard. You can also describe it as a fume closet which is a kind of a ventilation device that is used and is designed in such a fashion that it will restrict the user’s exposure to dusts, vapors, and toxic fumes, etc. which are of hazardous nature.
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Types of Fume Hoods –
A fume hood can be described as a huge piece of gear which is enclosed from all 5 sides and also has a working height to stand. There are mainly two types of fume hoods they are the ducted fume hood and the ductless fume hood. The method of using the fume hoods is the same in both the fume hoods i.e. ducted and ductless. In this also the air passes from the front opening of the cabinet and then the air is expelled out through the filtration safely. There are two main reasons for this kind of procedure.
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Protection of Materials/Products –
And the main reason for this is that it protects the researcher or the user who is experimenting with hazardous substances from inhaling the air inside, it may be toxic fumes, toxic gases or vapors, etc. The next purpose of this fume hood is to provide complete protection to the materials that are being experimented with or the products that are being experimented with. It may be some toxic gas, chemicals, or hazardous substances, etc. And, lastly, the fume hoods also do the work of protecting the environment from getting polluted, by safely expelling the toxic gases, chemical vapors, etc. outside the building through safe filtration method.
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For Safety & Protection of User –
If the fume hoods were not there then there would have been many problems regarding the environment. The entire room where the experiment is being conducted would have got polluted and suffocated with the gases and toxic fumes. So, in order to protect the user and the environment, these safety fume hoods are made which expels the gases outside through the safe filtration. The next function of this fume hood is to protect from the explosion of any kind and to restrict any kind of leakage of the gases and other harmful substances. It is designed in such a way that you will understand.
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Internal Lights –
The fume hoods which are used in the laboratory and other scientific research labs are the ones which are fitted against the walls and the in-fills are above which covers the ductwork of the exhaust. The fume hoods also have internal lights and the reason for this is that they are made in such a structure that when placed in the room, the room lights will not be sufficient to penetrate inside where the work is done, that is why they have internal lights on the top which directly falls on the materials and products that you are experimenting on.
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Safety Measures –
And additionally, it also has a vapor-proof cover. There is also a glass window on the front which can also be called a sash window. Some of the safety measures which you should take while working on the fume hoods are as follows – From the face of the hood you should always keep a distance of 6 inches and then you should start all your work and also keep all the stuff of experiments. If possible you should prefer to keep the sash window closed most of the time.
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Free from Hindrances –
Also, if possible keep the fume hoods slots free from any kind of hindrances of the container or the stuffs of the experiments which you are using. And one of the most important things never makes the fume hoods a storage place and store chemicals or other stuff of experiments like the mask or the gloves etc. You should store all of these stuff into separate cabinets. Another important never put your head inside the cabinet while experimenting or when the germs are being created. Chemical bottles should be capped inside the fume hoods.
Are you ready to use the fume hoods with safety measures?
Now, that you know about the fume hoods and its safety measures. It can be safely concluded that you can use the fume hoods with utmost care and precaution. It is also advised that do not use your fume hoods as a waste disposal instrument. Do all the experimentation inside the fume hoods especially if any experiment is creating contaminants of the air which is above the permissible level. And if possible always be slow in placing and removing the apparatus and other materials/products from inside the fume hoods to outside and from outside the fume hoods till inside.
