Tuesday, 9 June 2020

Enhance Safety with Laboratory Fume Hoods


Fume hood cabinets help to reduce exposure to hazardous or toxic fumes. They protect the laboratory environment as well as the workers when used for laboratory safety. Navigating the types of fume hood cabinets can be confusing and tricky when trying to find the one that is perfect for your application. General-purpose hoods, ducted fume hoods, vented enclosures, extractor systems, biosafety, and PCR enclosures all have their advantages and disadvantages when considering the laboratory. Read on to find out more about different types and how they can help you.

How to Choose a Fume Hood Cabinet

The best place to start when choosing a fume hood cabinet is to establish whether you are protecting staff, products, or both. If the goal is to protect the products, then you will likely need a horizontal or vertical clean bench or a PCR enclosure. If the goal is to protect staff from the chemicals used, then fume extractor or ducted/ductless chemical hood will be needed. If using a powder, a fume extractor or vented enclosure is recommended. A Class I biosafety cabinet is required when using biologicals, but a Class II biosafety cabinet is needed if you are safeguarding employees and products.

Biosafety and PCR Enclosures

These protect the user while allowing the handling of delicate substances. When entering the cabinet, the air is HEPA filtered and can be filtered again or discharged outside when exiting. They can be used to manipulate hazardous, but sensitive biological materials.

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