A chemical hood - when is one needed?

Every research lab, medical lab or industrial enterprise that works with dangerous substances that might harm people, must work with protection and this protection is a chemical hood.

For example, one sees chemical hoods or biological safety cabinets even in diamond polishing companies that work with dangerous acids liable to harm workers.

Chemical hoods are required by many industries: in the food industry, cosmetics, biotech medications, medical labs, in research labs and hospitals.

A chemical hood helps to purify the air when using dangerous substances in a lab or factory.

So that a factory can comply with the legal requirements and the relevant standards for laboratories, it must be ensured, inter alia, that labs, research and production installations are fitted with safety hoods/cabinets while choosing the type of safety hood/cabinet for a particular lab.

There are safety hoods/cabinets for laboratories that work with lighter than air volatile materials where the air extraction level must match the characteristics of these materials. On the other hand there are safety hoods/cabinets for labs that work on “heavy” materials, or alternatively safety hoods/cabinets for labs that work with various powders or substances that can become suspended in the air.

Rotem Technologies Engineering Ltd. has great experience in advising and adapting the type of safety hood/cabinet for the laboratory - whether a biological safety cabinet or a chemical hood.

For example: During the in-vitro fertilization process that is undertaken in a lab, double protection is required: protecting a lab worker against a virus or bacteria contained within biological cells while at the same time protecting the biological cells against a virus or bacteria located within a lab worker.

A lab safety hood/cabinet helps to maintain maximum clean air and ideal conditions for protection on both sides. In addition, maintaining the rules of sterile operating, using sterilized and protective clothing, as well as other rules, help to achieve the working conditions required that lead to better results.

When working with materials that are vegetable, electronic, aqueous solutions, etc., which do not endanger lab workers, it is possible to work with laminar safety hoods/cabinets. Sometimes it is preferable to work with horizontal safety hoods/cabinets which best protect the product being worked on but that does not protect the worker, as these materials do not constitute a danger to him.

When working with chemical and biological substances that demand double protection (both the worker and the product) it is possible to use a biological safety cabinet with the option of connecting an extractor to the cabinet’s upper filter.

The upper chamber returns the air to the room after biological filtration and extracts the chemically polluted air outside the building. In this instance, it must be ascertained that the chemical materials are suitable for working with a biological safety cabinet that will not cause corrosion or an explosion. The use of corrosive or inflammable materials is liable to damage a safety hood/cabinet as the biological safety cabinet blowers are usually unsuited for working with these kinds of materials.

When working with corrosive or inflammable materials, a suitable safety hood/cabinet must be ordered that will be manufactured according to all the requirements.

Lab safety hoods/cabinets are not a magical solution. Even when working with standards approved safety hoods/cabinets, workers must operate according to correct work rules, use appropriate protective clothing and comply with the required work regulations.

These rules will assist the process of protecting workers, and will maintain the required working conditions for achieving the best possible results.