Laboratory Fume Hoods

A laboratory fume hood is a workspace designated for containment of hazardous reagents used in experiments or assays, or toxic fumes that result from reactions or experiments. Found in all types of labs, the primary goal of the hood is to protect the user from these reagents, and to protect other laboratory staff, animals and/or experiments from contamination. Air is pulled away from the user and filtered or released to the external environment. Fume hoods are found in a variety of shapes and sizes- small bench top units are available for space challenged labs, and larger cabinet-type units are available for storage and space demanding experiments. Application will determine the type of fume hood needed, for example specially designed units are designed to protect users from radioisotopes, and units with a wash-down system of water spray nozzles dispersed throughout the hood are required for work with perchloric acid. When choosing an appropriate hood for your lab, consider special application requirements, energy consumption, available space and types of filters needed.