Established by OSHA and/or the ACGIH.

Laboratory managers also should ensure that laboratory ventilation is consistent with the current adition of the ANSI Z9.5, laboratory ventilation. Laboratory Hoods Safety handling chemicals in laboratories reqiures a properly installed and operating laboratory hood system and individuals who are instructed in its correct use. Many users of hoods are not familiar with the details of the various procedures required in their proper use. A handy reference is Saunders Laboratory Fume Hoods: A Users Manual. The current edition of the ANSI Z9.5, Laboratory Ventilation, provides additional useful information. The supply air for hoods comes from the laboratory room and must be adequate to meet the exhaust air-rate reqiurements. Failure to meet this need is probably the most common reason a hood system is unsatisfactory. Users should ensure that both the rear ducts and front airfoils of the laboratory hood they are using are free and clear of all obstructions. All work should be conducted within the hood enclosure, at least 15 cm (6 in.) from the front edge of the hood. Do not rey on a laboratory hood for protection in case of an explosion inside the hood. Typical laboratory hoods cannot offer protection against any but the mildest of explosions. The hood face exhaust rate is not reliable measure of laboratory hood performance because air supply to the room and draft across the hood face alter is effectiveness. Face velocity data has only one useful application : Recent hood face velocity measurements could be used to indicate whether there has been a significant change in hood performance since the last ANSI/ASHRAE 110 test. A greater hood face exhaust rate than is needed for protection is uneconomical, and such rates can cause turbulence that further degrades hood performance. A uniform face velocity as low as 80 feet per minute (fpm) in ideal system with good work practices is often adequate. Systems less well designed may benefit from higher exhaust rates, but not greater than 120 fpm. These greater rates can worsen the protection by causing turbulence and spillout of contaminated air from within the hood into the laboratory room. Instead of hood face exhaust velocities, rely on applicable performance tests such as the ANSI/ASHRAE 110 test; see the current adition of ANSI Z9.5, laboratory ventilation, and Saunders laboratory fume hoods: A users manual for detailed information. A permanently mounted air-vane or similar continuous semiquantitative indicating device is useful, but only to show that the hood exhaust fan is working approximately as well as it was when the last ANSI/ASHRE 110 test was performed. A strip of tissue paper taped to the edge of the hood frame and waving in the breeze is not reliable as an indicator. At regular intervals, inspect the condition of the laboratory hoods, and check the functioning of the ducts and associated exhaust system. Hood duct fans should be located outside the building so that all ductwork within the building is under negative pressure. Ensure that exhaust air from the laboratory hood duct exits outside the building and does not

recirculate back into the building. Do not use laboratory hoods for storing chemicals or apparatus. If well-ventilated longterm storage facilities ar desired, modify what was a laboratory hood to meet