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Fumehoods

safety logoNothing but your immediate experiment.
Use secondary containment.
Waste to be removed at end of day!

 

good and bad fumehood use

Right Way:

  • Sash at proper level

  • Indicator shows good flow

  • Empty of non-essentials

  • Chemicals in 2nd containment

  • Spills can't happen

Wrong Way:

  • Sash too high

  • Indicator Red or not working

  • Crowded & Hazardous

  • 2nd containment missing

  • Spills not cleaned up

ALSO:

  • DO NOT STORE WASTE IN THE FUME HOOD. If volatile, use a tight fitting lid. You can use the hood for transferring waste to the container, just don't keep the container in the hood overnight.

  • DO NOT STORE CHEMICALS in the fume hood unless they are for a current experiment in progress that needs the fume hood.

  • It is illegal to intentionally evaporate a solvent from a material for purposes of waste disposal. Just give EH&S the entire package with the solvent for waste disposal.

  • The drains have been plugged for a reason. NOTHING is to go down the fume hood drains.

REMEMBER: fume hoods are intended for use when you are doing something with a volitile hazard.

A good example is formaldehyde solutions. Formaldehyde is a strong smelling carcinogenic fixative. It should only be handled in a fume hood and the handler should wear gloves and work carefully to minimize exposure. Perfect use for a fume hood. However, if the hood is not free of clutter you will not be able to work safely.